


Stowaway

by Abandoning_The_Crown



Series: A Jedi and a Purge Trooper [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Injury, Gen, Injury Recovery, Mantis Crew (Star Wars), Minor Violence, Near Death Experiences, POV Second Person, Planet Bogano (Star Wars), Planet Dathomir (Star Wars), Plot twist: the Bogling is the main character, Reader is a Purge Trooper, The adorable Bogling companion needs its own warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28518288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abandoning_The_Crown/pseuds/Abandoning_The_Crown
Summary: First came the ears, large and ginger and trembling; then came the eyes, just as large, and glistening with curiosity. The animal was shaking as it slowly rose from its cover, little snout wrinkling when it cautiously sniffed your fingers. You were sure you smelled of blood and machine oil.
Relationships: Bogling Characters & Cal Kestis, Bogling Characters & Reader, Cal Kestis & Reader, Cal Kestis/Reader
Series: A Jedi and a Purge Trooper [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090337
Comments: 71
Kudos: 112





	1. Little

**Author's Note:**

> Turning it into a series, since you lot liked my works starring the Purge Trooper reader. Thank you for choosing to read this one as well!  
> IMPORTANT: the JFO storyline picks up after the second chapter. If you have not completed the story, you WILL get major spoilers.  
> P.S.: For clarification, this work takes place shortly after Cal’s journey to the Origin Tree.

This planet was a damn dirtball that you've never imagined yourself finding.

With a loud curse, followed by a string of colorful and creative expletives, you pulled yourself up against the rocky wall, grunting as your legs refused to cooperate. You dared a glance down - and then you looked back up, sobbing out a frustrated cry at the image of shattered duraplast and wet fabric sticking to your skin.

At least your staff was still intact; you used it to balance yourself, digging one end into the brown dirt and carefully moving forward, one step at a time. Strength seemed to return to your body as you moved further, yet your breathing started to become heavy and laboured. Bad sign.

"Can anyone hear me?" you spoke into the static coming from the inside of your helmet. "My TIE crashed. No coordinates. I need help. Do you copy?"

Loud, mechanical hissing was everything you heard in reply. Against your better judgement, you slammed your free hand onto the wall beside you - a small rock splintered off, flying forward and plummeting into the depth beneath the platform of soil.

 _One step at a time,_ you reminded yourself, taking a deep breath to slow your heart. _One step at a time._

The planet wasn't marked, neither was it anything you've ever seen or heard of before. When your TIE started smoking and you lost control over its movements, you thought that you would simply fall through the darkness until the ship exploded, or, for example, you died due to the lack of oxygen from all the screaming and cursing.

Instead, your TIE landed on an unknown planet covered in grass and dirt.

Could this day get any worse? It could, you realized upon lowering your gaze and noticing a trail of red behind you. _You could die._ There was something sticking out of your left shin, but you didn't dare examine it further; best ignore it lest you pulling it out would cost you the entire leg.

The earth rumbled. You whipped your head to look over your shoulder, eyes widening upon witnessing a large creature burrowing itself from underground, massive jaw closing with a clatter of sharp, razor-like teeth. You paled when it set its three eyes on the bloody trail in front of it, gigantic head lowering as its belly pressed to the ground.

Well. That wasn't good.

You started moving faster, whimpering as you dragged your leg and moved your staff further, making larger steps in the direction of the closest turn, or cave, or anything that could temporarily hide you. A large, grey rock formation would do the trick; you limped towards it, sweating from exertion and cursing your fate as you went.

The creature followed, although you managed to hide before it spotted you. With a suppressed yelp, you dropped to the ground behind the rock, back pressed against the coarse surface so tightly that you heard your spine pop. You held your breath, both hands grasping your weapon and thumb hovering over the activation button - could you even fight in your current condition? The thing didn't look fast, but it was massive. It also didn't seem like the shock would do much damage to it, not with the thick shell encasing its body.

The monster's steps were slow and heavy. It sure took its sweet time.

You caught movement out of the corner of your eye, and immediately thrust the edge of your staff in that direction, prepared to protect yourself.

You almost felt bad for the little creature that ducked back down into the burrowed hole in the ground with a terrified squeak. Silence followed, disrupted only by the grumbling sounds your pursuer made as it stomped further, tracking the scent.

"Hey." you whispered softly, mindful of the volume. Your staff was back on your lap, and you extended a gloved hand towards the hole in the dirt, making an effort to keep still. "I won't hurt you."

First came the ears, large and ginger and trembling; then came the eyes, just as large, and glistening with curiosity. The animal was shaking as it slowly rose from its cover, little snout wrinkling when it cautiously sniffed your fingers. You were sure you smelled of blood and machine oil.

Your time was running out; the booming steps were getting louder. You relaxed against the rock and closed your eyes, allowing your shoulders to drop. The little creature drew back, spooked by your movements, but then it was rising from the hole again, blinking at you with its dark, naive eyes.

It was good while it lasted. At least you will die with your helmet on - your body might be destroyed, but your honor would remain intact. You tried, you really did.

It was going to round the corner any second now. You could hear its heavy breathing as it inhaled - you could even hear the drool dripping from its mouth, splattering onto the ground beneath its short legs.

_Maker, let me die quick._

You heard movement. Your eyes shot open as something jumped across your lap; you barely caught a glimpse of bright ginger fur as your little companion launched itself from behind the cover and darted in the opposite direction from you, and, ultimately, from your killer-to-be.

You watched in astonishment as the predator followed it with renewed energy, growling in delirious hunger.

Did... Did this little guy just...?

With a groan, you forced yourself to stand back up, and then you limped after them, brain barely managing to catch up to the situation at hand.

The smart thing to do would be to keep moving away from the danger. It was only logical, to use the distraction to your advantage and run away, save your own life. Despite that, despite your brain literally screaming at you to turn around and flee, you kept on moving stubbornly forward, gritting your teeth.

Your injury started hurting more as you accelerated, now half-running, half-limping after the monster that you were supposed to have been avoiding. Sharp, ragged breaths came from your mouth, and you clutched onto your weapon even tighter.

They were getting further and further away. You pushed on, too tired to even think of stopping - all strength you had left was directed into your legs; you prayed that you would be fast enough to reach your target before the unthinkable happened.

The giant creature started to slow, and you were finally able to catch up. The sight that greeted you when you stumbled onto the vast, green plain, however, was not the most pleasant one to behold: the predator had one of its huge paws on top of your little savior, pressing its tiny body to the ground; the large, drooling mouth was angled down, prepared to bite.

You didn't think before you acted - the deep, saturated violet flashed bright as you activated your staff and lunged towards the assailant, plunging the sharper edge into its side. True to your assumptions, it wasn't enough to pierce the protective shell, but it was enough to stun the creature and force its attention upon you instead.

It was a terrible plan. You didn't even have time to scream when the predator spun around, spiked tail slamming against your chest and sending you flying backwards; you landed on your bad leg, howling out in pain as the object sticking out of it burrowed itself further into your flesh; the adrenaline pumping in your veins, however, managed to numb the senses enough for you to get back up. Your fingers still clenched tightly around the electrostaff, gloves squeaking under your fingertips, and you managed a faint smile underneath your mud-covered helmet.

The training paid off after all.

When the creature slammed into you again, this time using its head, you were slower to get up, yet you still did; dirt and grass stuck to your clothing so much that you could feel it with your skin, even through the layers of fabric. Your legs quivered, but your hands were steady as you activated your staff once again. The creature lunged, teeth narrowly missing your form, and then it roared, displeased with the resistance you've decided to put up.

You could only dodge for so long - your leg was bleeding profusely, and you felt weaker with each movement. You never took your eyes away from the enemy, yet your mind was clouded by intrusive thoughts of just falling to the ground and finally resting. _Sleep,_ a voice whispered in your ear as you shakily got up from the ground again, leaning the most of your body weight onto your staff. A chunk of your chestplate was gone, stuck in the giganting maw of the disgusting creature that stood before you, tall and very, _very_ angry.

It moved so fast that the motion seemed a blur to your exhausted eyes - the impact knocked you back, and this time, you heard something crack. Warmth spread across your stomach, dripping from underneath the smashed duraplast and onto the green grass below. You didn't look down, but you didn't need to: the teeth must've bitten through your armor, grazing your body in the process. It hurt, you noted absentmindedly, surprised to find yourself less responsive than you expected. Were you already halfway dead?

The thing opened its mouth again, and a slimy, pink tongue darted out, wrapping itself around your uninjured shin; with a pained cry, you fell onto your back, and then you were dragged forward, towards the glistening yellow teeth. With unexpected strength, you grasped your staff tightly in your hands and made an effort, powering through the pain as you twisted upwards and _stabbed_ your weapon into the monster's tongue, thus effectively pinning it to the ground. The creature roared, its grip on your loosening, and started yanking backwards - you were surprised to see its tongue tear in two, and even more surprised to see the creature jump as far away from you as it possibly could. It was gone within seconds, ground shaking as it ran, gurgling in pain, leaving a useless chunk of coarse muscle and a slimy trail of unidentified substance behind.

You collapsed onto your back, blowing a shaky sigh through your mouth. "Made it," you whispered, blinking wearily as the world started to spin. "I made it."

Before you could close your eyes, however, you felt something nudge your arm. Too tired to care, you ignored it, but the nudging became more insistent; you slowly turned your head to the side, finding the same little ginger from before, ears pressed to its head and wide, curious eyes darting all over your helmeted face.

"Hey." you breathed out with a small smile. If you had enough strength, you would've raised your hand to pet the precious thing, but all you wanted to do was sleep. "We're even now, bud."

It tilted its head; for some reason, its fluffy tail started moving from side to side, and then it opened its little mouth, showing off tiny teeth in some mimicry of a smile. A breathless chuckle made its way past your lips, and you sagged against the warm ground.

You were halfway into unconsciousness when the nudging was back again - the little savior was pushing its head against your upper arm with all its strength, as if attempting to move your body. You stared at it for a long moment before sighing. "I can't move."

Its floppy ears perked up at the sound of your voice, and it sprang to its feet, whimpering. It then turned around and rushed towards your staff that laid forgotten within a couple of feet from you, in a puddle of dirt; you watched as tiny, red-furred paws pushed against it, rolling it over to your side. The creature then sat again, big eyes gazing expectantly at you.

You really, _really_ didn't want to get up, but you forced your limbs to move. The wound stretching across your stomach made itself known when you shifted, hardly managing to roll over on your side and grasp the center of the staff.

It took a ton of tries, but eventually you got back up. Your savior stood by your legs, leaning against the uninjured one as if to help you stand; you chuckled at the gesture, yet said nothing.

The little creature didn't take you far - there was a stairway carved from stone underneath the place where you collapsed, and it led to what seemed to be an enclosed cage-like room, with copper grating and a strange mechanism that you didn't have enough strength to be interested in. The tiny ginger nudged you towards the gap in the wall - and you obediently squeezed through, deciding to save your breath instead of objecting.

Only when you were seated inside of the tiny space did you realize that the little thing just saved you once again - it led you to a place that the monstrous predator wouldn't be able to reach if it ever decided to come back for more. You appreciated the effort, no matter how useless it might've been. Judging from your injuries and lack of response from certain body parts, it wouldn't be long before you bled out; you had no bacta spray on you, or anything of the sort for that matter. The only thing you had intact was your helmet, and so you hurried to use it, tuning into your designated frequency and sending yet another distress signal.

The answer came immediately.

"... _Trooper?.. Do you copy?_ "

Pain forgotten, you jolted forward, startling your newfound friend. "Yes! Yes, affirmative!"

" _We were informed of your incident. Do you know where you are?"_

"No, I don't." you glanced over at your companion as if it could give you a hint. It stared wordlessly back. "I am badly injured. Check my signal, send help. I need-"

" _You know what to do._ "

That felt like a slap to the face. Of course you knew. "Yes, ma'am."

Silence.

" _Long live the Empire._ "

"Long live the Empire," you shadowed the dispatcher's words. A beep. Static.

More silence.

You glanced over to the tiny creature sitting beside you. It trembled, ears pressing against its head once again, as if sensing your distress. Then you looked at your staff, lying on the cold stone beneath your dominant hand. 

What an awful way to go.

* * *

"Hey! BD-1, where are you going?"

The little droid paid no attention to Cal, feet sploshing in the dirt as it sprinted forward, beeping cheerfully at the terrified Boglings that jumped away from the newcomers, spooked by the BD unit's enthusiasm.

The Jedi shook his head with a smile, observing his companion as the latter chased a small Bogling that made haste to jump into the nearest hole in the ground upon seeing the droid approach. "Come on, let's go."

BD-1 booped quietly, head hanging low as it shuffled its feet, apparently saddened by the fact that the scan failed due to the jumpy creatures' retreat. The droid's lenses, however, lit up when it noticed another Bogling standing not far off, unmoving; without a trace of hesitation, BD-1 sprinted after it, chirping loudly as the poor creature took off somewhere underground, with the droid following after it.

Cal jogged after them, igniting his lightsaber and holding it above his head to illuminate the way.

He saw a flurry of red jump into the gap between durasteel plates of the nearby wall, and frowned. Was the little guy stuck there now?

There were tracks leading to that room. Judging by the color and the smell, it was blood.

"BD-1, come here." he called, and the droid immediately ran to him, jumping onto his back with no objection. Cal concentrated, raising his free hand and clenching it into a tight fist; he breathed out and pulled his hand back, imagining the wall bending and making way.

It did. With a screech, the durasteel pulled back, revealing a tiny, unlit room - along with an unmoving body of a Purge Trooper slumped on the ground inside of it.

BD beeped in alarm, ducking behind the Jedi's shoulder; Cal blinked, eyeing the broken duraplast and an electrostaff lying by the trooper's side. The Bogling sat at the armor-clad soldier's legs, whimpering in distress.

Cal turned his lightsaber off, deciding that BD's spotlight would be enough; cautiously, he approached the Purge Trooper, stepping forward to kick the staff away from the limp body. Nothing.

He moved closer, placing a gloved hand atop of the trooper's shoulder, and gave it a shake. Still nothing.

The Bogling shuffled towards the Jedi, big, teary eyes staring up at him in what seemed to be a silent plea. It was attached to the trooper, no doubt about that. Why? Cal frowned and leaned down to place his ear against the Purge Trooper's chest, listening for any signs of life.

Breathing. Faint and ragged, but it was there.

Heartbeat. _Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

_Alive._

Tentatively, the young Jedi slipped his uncovered hand atop the Imperial's. The world bloomed, air colored a soft blue, and a vision came before his eyes - a vision of a foolish, pointless battle against a ravenous, deadly Oggdo; a vision of pain and desperate struggle, all suffered for nothing but a... little creature.

The Bogling shifted closer, pressing its tiny nose against the Purge Trooper's upper arm. Cal watched it as it whined pitifully, ears drooping low.

The Force whispered words of encouragement, and it was enough for Kestis to make a decision.

"Cere?" he finally spoke, carefully wrapping his hands around the Purge Trooper's torso and grunting as he stood up, pulling the body along with him. BD-1 helpfully provided a healing stim, which he immediately injected into the unconscious trooper's arm. "Can you prepare bacta spray? I need a lot of it."

"What happened?"

"I'll explain in a minute. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Cal."

"Thanks."

The ginger Bogling followed the three of them as they exited the room and moved collectively towards the daylight coming from above the stone staircase. BD chirped in excitement, and Cal sighed.

He hoped Greez wouldn't mind a stowaway.

Or two.


	2. Ginger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bright colors weren't something you saw in ships very often, considering the dull, boring grey palette of Imperial TIE fighters - but you didn't find yourself enjoying the screaming orange very much. With a frown, you eyed the bright sofa. Then the walls. Then the Bogling. Then the Jedi.
> 
> There had to be a limit to the amount of ginger things one could possibly have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to everyone who's been reading, leaving kudos, commenting and overall inspiring me to continue! This chapter took a while to write as I was unsure of what exactly I wanted, but now I have a clear picture in mind.  
> Enjoy!

The first thing that came to mind when you woke up was...

_Something's wrong._

You laid there, still as a bounty frozen in carbonite, and tried to think without opening your eyes. Your mouth tasted like copper, yet your breathing was calm, a stark contrast to strained gulps of air wrecking your entire body back in that one room, with your newfound little friend close enough to watch you bleed out on the cold stone floor.

Which brought you back to the situation at hand.

You weren't dead.

The thought itself seemed crazy. _How_ were you not dead, after all the injuries you've sustained? Memories started to flood your mind as you desperately tried to recall everything that happened. You've managed to fend off some gigantic creature, saved another, tinier one, and then got rejected when asked for help from the Empire.

All of your thoughts halted to a stop when you felt something brush against your arm and move closer to your face; when a cold nose pressed against your cheek - your _uncovered_ cheek, on top of that, - you couldn't help a flinch, eyes fluttering open.

Bright light coming from the ceiling made your vision swim, and you winced, squeezing your eyes shut with a quiet groan. A squeak was heard from beside you, close to your ear, and then there was a sensation of fur tickling your jaw.

You felt a bit calmer knowing what it was.

"Hey, bud," your voice came out hoarse and rumbling, throat aching painfully as it struggled to let the sound out. You opened your eyes carefully once again, meeting two eager, teary bubbles that were the orbs of your one and only tiny savior. "Miss me?"

It whimpered, little paws clasping onto your upper arm with urgency that nearly made your heart melt. With a throaty chuckle, you angled your head to bump foreheads with the creature, which earned you an excited chirp and an affectionate nudge in return.

Your mood soured when you averted your gaze and let it linger on the room you've been located inside of. It was definitely a section of a ship, you could tell simply from the shiny, sleek appearance of the walls and, well, the familiar sound of flight. The buzz of durasteel and that mighty roar of an engine were soothing, yet you refused to let them lull you back to sleep - the shuttle had no identifying marks on the inside, so you had no idea of knowing which faction it belonged to.

Did the Empire manage to track you down after all? You doubted it. Was it the Haxion Brood scum, who found you and decided to sell you off on some backwater planet? No, it wasn't likely. You've had yet to see any types of restraints, and it struck you as odd: your captors were either incredibly confident in their abilities should you have decided to attempt an escape, or infinitely stupid.

Well, maybe not _infinitely_. The entirety of your armor was gone, as well as your weapon. All you had on were your dark boots and a body glove jumpsuit, torn in some places and covered with sterile white patches in others, where your felt the most strain - your stomach and your left shin, to be exact.

You placed a careful hand over your abdomen, hesitantly probing the wound. It hurt, but not nearly as much as it did before.

Your little companion perked up, ears tilting in the direction of the doorway at the distinctive sound of footsteps; you squinted, willing your eyes to focus on the hallway that stretched through the ship - the lights were on, but your vision started to swim once again when you lifted yourself up on your elbows and craned your neck, feeling suddenly nauseous.

A figure came into your field of vision - and your gaze homed in on the lightsaber hanging on your captor's belt.

You moved fast, practically throwing yourself off the bunk, all discomfort forgotten; your tiny companion squeaked in alarm, scurrying as far away as it could, while you twisted around and shot up, swaying, breathing heavily - your hands roamed the wall behind you in search of anything you could use as a weapon.

Your supposed captor looked as panicked as you felt - with both hands held up, he remained standing at the foot of the bed, bright, gem-like eyes fixated on your face. "Easy, easy," he spoke, voice low yet nervous. "You're safe."

You looked from his face to his hands, then to his lightsaber. _Safe, yeah,_ you thought, shaking your head slightly as you glared at him. Did he expect you to believe that? You, a Purge Trooper, _safe?_ In one room with a blasted _Jedi?_ Your thoughts must have been written all over your face; the Jedi exhaled slowly, making a tentative step forward. He looked like he wasn't sure what exactly he was doing, but so far, he hasn't made a single attempt to reach for his weapon. And it's been, what, _a minute_ since he's stepped into the room?

He moved closer, and you weighed your options in your head. One, you could try and attack him, possibly knock him out - it wasn't the brightest idea, considering that he was, after all, a Jedi, and despite looking rather young and somewhat bony, you could see the control he had over his movements. Option two was much more reasonable: listen to what he had to say and decide what to do from then on.

So you did. Allowed him to come closer and waited for him to explain the reasoning for your survival.

Your previous observation, about the control over his own movements, did not seem to apply to control over his own face. The Jedi was anxious and tense, like a coiled spring; his gaze darted all over your face, searching for something. Approval, maybe. Now that you thought about it, he reminded you of your little companion - the same hesitation, the same question swimming in his eyes. Kriff, even the same hair - ginger, with a fiery tint.

"I, uh..." he started, then paused, as if trying to find the right words. "I mean, _we,_ " he motioned somewhere behind his back, but you didn't take your eyes away from his. "We found you halfway dead on Bogano. You were... bleeding out."

He stopped, apparently waiting for your reaction. You nodded slowly, brain beginning to process the information. _Bogano._ Now you knew the name of a planet that you won't be visiting ever again. "And you just decided to take me in? Tend to my wounds?" you spoke up, slightly incredulous. "Is that it?"

The Jedi nodded readily. "Yeah. The Bogling led us to where you were, and I brought you back here."

You couldn't believe this guy. Was he truly so naive, or was there a hidden agenda behind his actions? You didn't know, which was why you pressed for more. "Where is 'here'?" you asked, daring a glance around the room before setting your sights back on the Jedi. A bed, a ladder leading down, a workbench. Interesting.

"Mantis. Or, well, that's what Greez calls it." he managed a little smile that you didn't reciprocate. "It's not resistance-affiliated or anything. Neither is it Imperial."

"I figured, with a Jedi on board." you blew an exhausted sigh. Your head was pounding, and your muscles started aching from all the movement you've done mere moments ago. You were not sure how you were still standing.

The Jedi let out a quiet chuckle. "Right."

The air seemed to become lighter, or as light as it could, with your legs struggling to stand as if you've been carrying the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders. The red-headed Jedi noticed that, and he extended his hand towards you, nodding in the direction of the bunk. You eyed his outstretched hand and decided to take your chances - without a word, you slipped your palm onto his, and allowed him to lead you back towards the bed.

You blinked upon finding your little companion - _Bogling,_ you had to remember that, - hiding under the pillow, trembling, one curious eye peeking out from under it to watch you. A smile made its way onto your face, and you sat down, reaching out to run your fingers along the middle of the Bogling's fluffy tail. The tiny thing was quick to move, slithering from under the pillow and lunging towards you to duck beneath your elbow, something similar to a sigh escaping it as it nestled against your side.

"You're good with creatures."

Body tensing on instinct, you eyed the Jedi cautiously for a moment, and then, upon not noticing any immediate signs of danger from him, shrugged with a huff: "I've ran into a bigger one back on that planet. Can't say that I handled our encounter well."

"You escaped with your life," he offered in return, stepping back to lean against the doorframe, hands folded across his chest. "That's gotta count for something."

It was time to bring the hammer down.

"Why are you being so friendly?"

He didn't expect that. The Jedi stilled, brows furrowing as he stared at you in silence for a beat. "What do you mean?"

"Surely you've encountered brothers of mine." you continued, referring to the other Purge Troopers he might've faced off against throughout his entire existence. "You must know that we're not... _fond_ of the Jedi. In fact, if I had my staff right now, you wouldn't even be standing so bravely before me, pretending to be all innocent."

His eyes narrowed at you. "I am well aware of the nonsense the Empire has drilled into your mind. Perhaps I was foolish to think that you would be different."

"Perhaps you were." you bit back, all amiability forgotten. "Regret not killing me, Jedi?"

The way you spat the name of his creed like it was an insult seemed to stun him enough to prevent him from speaking any further. He was none too pleased with the turn your conversation has taken, but the frustration he tried to hide was way too genuine to further doubt the goodwill of his actions.

The Bogling shivered under your arm, sensing the tension hanging in the air; you didn't look away from the Jedi, well aware of the fact that he was still armed, unlike you - yet you felt no fear like you were probably supposed to. If he wanted you dead, he would have already done something to achieve that.

A sudden beep cut through the silence, and your gaze snapped to the Jedi's shoulder, where you saw two artificial eyes staring at you with hesitant curiosity. "It's alright, buddy." the Jedi spoke, not even looking at his own companion. "Let's leave our guests alone."

He turned to leave, but, after a couple of steps, paused in the hallway. "Everyone will be waiting in the common area. Come out whenever you're ready."

And then he was gone. You stared at his retreating back, observing the tiny droid as it clung to its owner, box-like head turning backwards to look at you.

When the Jedi's footsteps were drowned out by the sound of the engine, you allowed yourself to relax - with a sigh, you slouched, placing a hand over your stomach. The Bogling chirped, then tilted its head as if to ask what's wrong; you breathed out a humorless chuckle and shook your head: "Seems like we are not welcome aboard this ship anymore."

* * *

You spent a while thinking about how you were going to approach the upcoming introduction and, possibly, talk your way out of this sticky situation. The Jedi knew who you were and who you served, so playing dumb wouldn't work; neither was it wise to attack your captors. The only option was to speak the truth, and accept whatever they've decided to do with you.

You cringed at the thought - what if they settled on selling you off into slavery? Or, worse yet, returning you to the Empire? That would be low, even for a Jedi; you refused to think of this possibility too much.

The ship stayed surprisingly silent the entire time you spent inside of that room. You attempted to listen in, count the voices or footsteps, but it was all inaudible due to the clatter of the mighty ship. There was no knowing how many accomplices the Jedi had on board, and it made everything much, _much_ harder.

Your companion started jumping all over the room, sniffing each and every piece of furniture it stumbled upon. Eventually, it lost its interest in some weird-looking tools on the workbench, and jumped down, hopping out of the room with speed you haven't seen it use before. You hissed out a quiet " _Come back!_ " at its reatreating form, and, with a groan, you finally stood up.

The walk through the hallway didn't take long; you used the wall for support the entire time - your legs were weak, especially the one that sustained an injury. If it took so long to recover with bacta, then it meant that some ligaments might have been previously torn and healed again. You weren't a medical professional, after all, so you weren't too sure.

When you stepped out of the corridor and into the main area, all four pairs of eyes were drawn towards you. Five, if you included the Bogling; you stared back, eyeing each and every present life form. A humanoid female - she looked older than the Jedi, but still capable, if a blaster resting on her hip was any indication; a Latero male, who stood inside of the galley with a displeased look on his face; a white-plated droid, shifting its weight from one foot to the other; and finally, the Jedi, with hands crossed on his chest and the lightsaber still hanging on his belt.

"So that's what the fuss was all about?" the Latero broke the silence, motioning with one of his hands to you - his other three were busy mixing something suspicious in a bowl that stood on the steel counter positioned against the wall. "Some trooper?"

"Yes, Greez." the female replied, slowly rising from the orange-seated stool. "An Imperial _Purge_ Trooper, if you remember."

"Yeah, yeah." the so-called 'Greez' spoke, turning fully towards you; his scrutinizing eyes observed your posture for a moment, then he waved his free hand in dismissal. "Doesn't look very intimidating without the weapon."

You swallowed a growl that was about to escape your throat; as soon as you moved towards the Latero, however, the woman grabbed her blaster and aimed it at your chest. "Don't try anything." she ordered, moving her finger to the trigger. You drew back, now focused on her; you weren't as intimidated as you were angry - angry with having your abilities questioned. You didn't spend years in training to have some nameless group of life forms insult your pride like that.

"That's gratitude for ya," the Latero grumbled quietly, turning back towards his mixes.

"Cere," the Jedi spoke, quietly, and raised his hand to lay it atop the woman's wrist, carefully lowering it. She threw him a glare, and he shook his head before turning his attention back to you. "We wish you no harm. Let's just sit down and talk, alright?"

Not like there was any other option. You nodded and waited for Cere to tuck her weapon back into its holster, and only then did you wander further inside of the common area and seated yourself on the very edge of a sofa in the center of the room.

The shuttle was spacious, and, judging by the richly decorated interior, you suspected it to be a luxury yacht. Bright colors weren't something you saw in ships very often, considering the dull, boring grey palette of Imperial TIE fighters - but you didn't find yourself enjoying the screaming orange very much. With a frown, you eyed the bright sofa. Then the walls. Then the Bogling. Then the Jedi.

There had to be a limit to the amount of ginger things one could possibly have.

"So," the young Jedi lowered himself to the opposite end of the sofa; his droid leapt from his back and landed on the low table right in front of you. "What should we call you?"

You kept your silence, gazing at the droid for a long moment. The little machine blinked at you, fidgeting. Uncomfortable? _Good._

"Nothing. I won't be staying." you turned your head to direct your attention to the red-haired man. "I expect us to part ways at the next stop."

The Jedi breathed out an exhausted sigh. You hardly managed to suppress a smirk - and wondered how long he will be able to keep the nice act up.

"Alright, fine." he agreed, rolling his shoulders, probably in an attempt to relax. "The next stop isn't far. It's a planet called Dathomir, have you ever heard about it?"

All amusement was gone, as if someone had flipped a switch inside of your brain. The droid chose this exact moment to blind you with a bright blue flash, beeping in panic when you swatted it away with one hand, while your other flew up to cover your unprotected eyes. "Cut it out!" you hissed at the tiny machine, wiping your eyes before fixing the Jedi with a glare. " _Dathomir?_ Are you out of your mind?"

The BD unit was on the young man's shoulder in no time, staring at you begrudgingly with large, uneven lenses. The woman, who watched the exchange silently the entire time, stepped closer to the table, one hand on her hip, close to the pistol. "What do you know about that planet?" she asked, voice ringing with intensity that surpassed the Jedi's by an impressive amount.

You crossed your hands over your chest, leaning against the cushioned seat. "It's a dangerous place, a no-fly zone. The Empire never had any scientific interest in that dry piece of rock anyway."

"Same could be said about Bogano." she replied, harsh. "And yet Cal found you there."

 _Cal._ What a weird name. "Not like I planned on _crashing_ ," you narrowed your eyes at her. "Nor did I ask to be brought onto this abomination of a ship."

"Excuse you!" Greez interfered, walking out of the galley with a round steel container in one of his flailing hands. "Mantis is true beauty! Perhaps it doesn't suit your _bland_ Imperial tastes, but it can pack a punch. No TIE, fighter or interceptor, could ever catch up!"

"Perhaps it's because none tried."

The Latero choked on the mix that he's started drinking; with a wheezing cough and a furious frown, he wiped his mouth and then pointed an accusatory finger at you, his homemade soup almost spilling to the floor. "You know what? If you were a spice, kid, you'd be flour."

You bristled at that. "I'm not a kid!"

"You might not look like it, but you sure act like one."

"Why, you!..."

"That's enough!"

An insult hurled itself back into your throat; you grunted, turning pointedly away from Greez, and directed your eyes towards the Jedi, who was now standing up with a displeased scowl on his face. "I didn't bring you here to start a conflict. You know that."

You held his gaze, and, after a beat of tense silence, finally conceded. "Fine." you spoke, quiet. The redhead gave you a nod, then turned to look at the Latero.

"Greez?"

"We land soon. Better buckle up." Greez threw you a sideways glare before stalking in the direction of the cockpit. The little droid booped and hurried after him.

Silence stretched over the four of you that remained in the common area. The Bogling - you've almost forgotten about the creature, - was sitting on the floor, between your feet, trembling so much that you felt your legs shake along with it. You reluctantly took your eyes away from the humanoids and bent down to offer your hands to the creature; with an excited squeak, the Bogling launched itself into your embrace, landing on your lap and curling up into a ball. You stroked its fur, and, after a deep inhale, you looked back up, finding both Cal and Cere staring at you, him - with curiosity, her - with alarm.

"So what are you planning to do on Dathomir?" you broke the silence. The two of them exchanged glances; you could see the caution in both of their postures, yet the Jedi seemed slightly more willing to give you an answer. Before the woman threw him yet another glare, that is.

"I'm afraid we can't share this with you," she spoke, calmer than before. Cal sighed beside her, but said nothing. "As you are still a member of the Empire."

You shrugged. "I might be, I might not." you motioned to the patched wound on your stomach upon catching onto Cere's confusion. "I was left for dead. Got an order to..." you paused, hand halting your movements over the Bogling's bright fur. Your listeners waited patiently for you to continue, and you suddenly found it hard to look at them - lowered your eyes to the table instead, counting rare scratches going across the illuminated, smooth surface "... self-destruct. Couldn't do it."

There was yet another silence, only this time you felt much, much more irritated. You shot a glance up once again, brows furrowed, words bitter on your tongue: "There. Now you know everything."

"I see." Cere's expression softened slightly, to which you shook your head in mute anger and looked away. She made a pause before speaking again, this time addressing the Jedi: "Let's prepare for landing. You know where to find me."

"Alright." Cal replied, remarkably quiet. He said nothing else when Cere turned and walked to the front of the ship.

The Bogling looked up at you and tilted its head, ears perked up and eyes focused on your face. It pressed its nose to the inside of your elbow, giving it a gentle nudge, and you scratched behind the little creature's ears, hoping to get it to sleep again. It stayed sitting up instead, gazing at you with something similar to concern. The little thing was good at sensing one's emotions, wasn't it.

That wasn't what you were taught in the academy. Neither was it something you could allow yourself during training - no, if anything, it entailed punishment. You collected yourself and breathed out, closing your eyes.

 _Get a grip_ , you hissed at yourself inside of your mind. As long as you held the title of a Purge Trooper, as long as you wore your armor, whatever remained of it, and as long as your heart kept beating inside of your chest, you wouldn't allow yourself to show weakness.

You felt a bit better. When you opened your eyes again, you saw the Jedi sitting on the adjacent side of the sofa, only a bit closer this time - watching you.

The two of you stared at each other for a long moment, and, when he still hasn't said anything, you raised a brow. "What is it?"

Cal blinked, as if pulling himself out of some sort of a haze. "I haven't had a chance to see a Purge Trooper without a helmet on before."

"And what do you think?"

He hesitated, pausing to give himself time to consider his next words. "You are..." he started, clear, observant eyes skimming over your features, as if noting each and every detail he saw and storing it into the deepest corners of his mind. You've never been examined so closely before, which was why you couldn't tell whether you liked it or not. It was apparent he wanted to say something, but instead, he settled on a neutral, safe: "... not a clone."

You remained motionless for a long moment; defeated, you allowed your lips to twitch upwards at the more than obvious statement. "And you, Jedi, are very observant."

He shook his head with something close to an embarrassed laugh before pushing himself off the sofa and walking further into the ship, towards a large holotable. You saw him press some buttons and pull up a map of what you assumed to be Dathomir, and knew that the conversation was over for now.

The Bogling shifted on your lap, snoring softly. Your hand remained on top of its head, firm yet gentle.

You closed your eyes and imagined yourself far, far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to Dathomir, guys and gals. Buckle up, it's gonna be one hell of a ride.  
> Thank you for reading and stay tuned!


	3. Villainous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't get it," you panted, addressing your companion as you brought your staff down, onto the Zabrak's foot. He howled in pain, to which you moved forward and slammed your shoulder into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards and off the rock platform, into the smoky unknown. "Do we plan on wiping all of the Dathomirians out, or are we here for something else?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT:  
> From this chapter on, this work will closely follow the JFO storyline. So if you have not finished the game, you WILL get major spoilers.  
> That being said, enjoy!

Putting your armor on again felt so weird.

You stared at your own reflection in the mirror, assessing the damage done to your attire.

It was pretty bad. The chestplate was almost completely smashed, and had a chunk missing - which wasn't very noticeable after wrapping the exposed area in sturdy black material you were kindly provided with; the material was similar to your kama, blast-resistant and durable, but still, it was no duraplast. You glared at the uneven spot, the perfectionist inside of you weeping in distress - your armor wasn't complete. That meant you had to find replacement, and fast.

The rest of your outfit was fine. Sure there were tears, scratches and cracks running across the plating, but at least it was still wearable. You couldn't imagine yourself going anywhere without protection, and so, with a sigh, you accepted your more than disheveled appearance. You could, however, imagine your commanding officer fuming with rage if he were to ever see the state of your armor.

Your helmet was, surprisingly, in good condition. You've managed to scrub the dried dirt off, reveling in the familiar, comforting shine of the dark red visor. You were quick to put the head gear on; the feeling of having your face covered had an immediate calming effect, and you breathed a quiet chuckle, enjoying the way your voice became slightly lower and harsher.

Now everything was in order.

When you stepped out of the refresher, you spotted Cal in the hallway, leaning against the wall and apparently waiting for you. His eyes snapped up from the ground as soon as you approached him, yet his expression was a bit more guarded than before. You tilted your head, not sure why his mood soured so much upon examining your appearance. "Something wrong, Jedi?"

He tensed even more at the sound of your voice. "Do you _have_ to wear this armor?"

"Do _you_ need to carry a lightsaber around?" he opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it and said nothing, to which you huffed out an unsatisfied noise. "Well, there you go."

"Fine." the Jedi pushed himself off the wall and walked further into the ship, heading for the common area. You followed close behind.

Greez dropped the empty plate he was holding upon having his eyes land on your form. "Ah! Maker, kid, you look like you're gonna murder someone."

"Once again, I am not a kid." you blew a sigh through your nose. "And me wearing Imperial armor does not necessarily entail a rampage."

"You sound even worse than you look." the Latero continued, squatting to pick the plate back up with a strained grunt. "That bucket also changes your voice, I see."

"It makes target sighting easier as well." came a rumbling reply from you. Greez rolled his eyes.

"Maker, Cal, get this one off my ship, will you?" the Latero turned away just as you were about to take a menacing step towards him, and Cal immediately intervened, placing a careful hand on your elbow; you glared at him, but he ignored it in favor of leading you further into the main area, towards the open entrance of the shuttle.

You halted to a stop halfway on the boarding ramp, digging your foot into the steel, and ripped your arm out of the Jedi's grasp. "Hey, wait a minute!" he turned to look at you, and so did Cere, who's already been standing outside, on the sand-colored, rocky ground. You looked up, squinting against the red sunlight and collecting your thoughts. "You can't expect me to go without a weapon."

"I thought we agreed-"

" _We_ agreed that I'll join you to provide support in case you run into trouble." you cut the Jedi off, motioning towards the unwelcoming, dry terrain. "And in exchange, you will drop me off on Zeffo, yes?"

Cal sighed. "That's right."

"I can't provide support if I'm unarmed." you showed him your very empty hands, and then turned your head to look at Cere. The woman approached, stopping at the bottom of the ramp, arms crossed and a frown upon her face.

"You _could_ try to attack Cal when you're out there." she said, and Cal immediately looked away, lips pressed tightly together and brows furrowed. You eyed him for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"I could. It wouldn't be very smart of me though, don't you think?"

"I can handle myself," the Jedi spoke up, suddenly loud and confident, turning to send a meaningful glance first to Cere, then to you. "I can handle you too."

"You speak as if I plan on trying anything," despite your attempt to sound calm and collected, irritation still made its way into your voice. "Who's gonna fly me to Zeffo if anything happens to you? The Bogling?"

Cere shook her head with a sigh; Cal was more willing to believe you - which was why he walked back into the ship and returned a minute later with your staff in his gloved hand. You reached out, aching to feel the weight of it under your fingers again, but the Jedi yanked it back as soon as you made a grab for it; with a tense glower, he leaned forward and spoke a low, stern: "No tricks."

A scoff went through your vocoder. "Want a pinky promise, Jedi?" you clasped your hand around the center of the staff and tugged it towards you; the redhead loosened his grip and allowed you to take your weapon back. As soon as it regained its usual position across your spine, you turned around and walked down the ramp, eager to get moving.

The rock felt hot beneath your boots. You spared a glance down, eyeing the cracked, sun-dried surface, and then kicked a small pebble forward, bored already.

Was it too much to ask for more normal planets in this Galaxy? Even the air tasted bitter after going through the filtering system of your helmet; you could already feel the heat starting to cling to your figure, black armor eagerly soaking in that infectious warmth. No wonder the Empire never visited this place - you couldn't imagine finding anything worth studying out here.

You didn't hear footsteps following you, so you turned around to question where the Jedi had gone to, but decided against it when you saw him talking to Cere in a hushed tone. The woman was standing with her back turned to you, but, judging from Cal's facial expression, the talk was not the most pleasant one. You didn't get a chance to listen in, not because you didn't want to - your little Bogling companion was hopping towards you full-speed; it nearly tripped at the end of the ramp, but quickly regained its composure and dashed further, ending up at your feet in no time.

It stared up at you expectantly, ears twitching and fluffy tail going from side to side - you stared back, then hesitantly opened your arms.

The Bogling jumped at you so quickly that you barely had time to clasp your hands around it; with a startled " _Woah!_ ", you caught the creature in your embrace, and then watched wordlessly as it flipped onto its back, practically laying down in your arms, like a spoiled baby. You ran a tentative hand over the Bogling's head - it chirped out an excited squeak and drew back, following your hand, pink nose pressed against your index finger, sniffing it.

"What has my life come to?" you exhaled, asking no one in particular. The Bogling blinked innocently at you in reply. "Get back into the ship, it's dangerous out here." It brought its cheek closer to your chestplate, nestling against it. "No, don't fall asleep."

Too late - the little thing was already snoring, tiny snout wrinkling and one barren leg twitching against your upper arm. Frustration immediately gave way to a faint smile forming under your helmet, and you held the little creature a bit closer.

The Jedi, with the BD unit sitting quietly on his back, caught up to you - but, instead of stopping, he marched right past, taking no notice of the Bogling. You glanced over to Cere, who was standing by the ship looking lost, sad even. She said nothing upon your approach, simply accepted the Bogling into her own arms, and nodded when you asked her to watch over the tiny thing while you were gone.

You made a pause. "I trust you to take care of it."

The warning in your voice was heard loud and clear; Cere fixed you with a stare, the intensity of it matching your own tone. "And I trust you to take care of _him_."

She was distressed, and, no matter how much she tried to school her face into a neutral, confident expression, the quiver in her voice betrayed her.

You hesitated. Then you gave a nod.

"I will."

* * *

This planet was nothing like you had imagined. You knew that there would be hostile creatures and possibly new enemies to encounter, but the sheer amount of unfriendly things inhabiting this land was simply staggering.

You had taken refuge in some sort of an abandoned temple not far from the landing site - your blood still rushed wildly in your ears from having to make a hasty escape from yet another large predator that seemed to have been patrolling the vast area behind you. The Nydak, as BD-1 very helpfully provided, was not a creature you wanted to waste your strength on, but the hardest part turned out to be convincing the Jedi to sneak around it instead of engaging in a fight.

Cal was bothered by something, that much you knew for certain; it was not your place to pry, and you were quick to shut down your own curiosity in favor of concentrating on the current mission for the time being - a golden trait that you've acquired during the Imperial training.

You breathed in, slowly, yet a groan still slipped past your vocoder upon seeing sticky, viscous liquid drip from the lower end of your staff. "Ah, _kriff._ " the Jedi immediately looked over his shoulder, yet you waved your hand in dismissal. "Their blood. It stings."

"They're called bane back spiders." Cal walked over to one of the many crumbling walls, carefully brushing his gloved hand against the markings. "BD says they're poisonous, so try not to touch them."

"That would explain the smell," you cringed. "Even Bogano fades in comparison to this place."

"Hmm."

You shot a curious glance towards Cal. "Hey, Jedi?"

He traced some carvings with his fingers, but didn't turn to look at you. "Yeah?"

"What's going on between you and Cere?"

His movements halted; you've managed to catch him off-guard once again. Leaning against your staff, you waited for his reply, even if you were almost completely sure he would choose to avoid answering.

"Why do you ask?" he turned to look at you, face carefully emotionless. You shrugged.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that something bad happened between you two. I'm a bit interested."

"You shouldn't have any reason to be," he sounded tired, resigned even. Whatever the conflict was, it affected him pretty badly. "But if you really want to know, she hid the truth from me."

The silence that followed was tense and loaded; there were many unspoken things flying in the air, you could practically _feel_ the confused hurt emanating from the Jedi. You stood upright, thinking that Cal would be willing to elaborate, but he said nothing more - simply turned back towards the wall and continued examining the markings.

"How odd." you drawled, watching as your interlocutor carried on with his investigation. "Even the good guys can backstab each other," you pulled your staff up and slung it over your shoulder in one quick, effortless motion. "Makes you wonder if we Imperials are really the bigger villains here, doesn't it?"

"It doesn't." Cal cut you off, sharp. When he looked at you again, he was frowning. "The Empire destroys everything it touches. Nature, innocents. Even its own people."

You gave a slow nod. "That might be true. And yet, you are currently on better terms with me than you are with Cere. If _I_ ," you pointed a gloved finger at yourself. "Am the villain, why do _you_ fight each other?"

The Jedi said nothing in return - simply stared at you in complete silence, either thinking it over or attempting to block your words out.

You wordlessly shook your head and marched further into the temple, towards some half-destroyed structure standing tall and slanted. "You continue to meet my expectations."

Neither of you spoke for the remainder of the time. You examined the writings, brushing the dirt and dust off the carvings and searching your memory in hopes of finding anything that could be useful.

Interestingly enough, you knew that you have seen symbols like these before, just didn't know where. BD-1 approached you, tiny joints whirring with the movement, then stopped at your side and blinked at you questioningly. You squatted down and cocked your head, motioning to the writings. "Think you can translate?"

BD-1 turned its box-like head and chirped loudly, apparently addressing the Jedi. Cal immediately jogged over, bending down to examine the slate - you watched as recognition flashed across his features, and concluded that the Jedi found what he was looking for. "Looks like the Zeffo were here."

Of course. You recognized the writings because you've seen them in the reports that were circling around for a while - reports about multiple teams, under the command of Imperial Inquisitorius, that were making progress at investigating the Tomb of Miktrull back on Zeffo. You didn't know which Inquisitor was specifically tasked with this operation, though.

Cal straightened back up and glanced around with a thoughtful hum. "Strange..." he muttered, carefully eyeing the space around him. "This place seems abandoned, but..."

Bright green energy crackled through the air, chains of it connecting together and forming a figure. You jumped up and took hold of your staff, while the Jedi grabbed the lightsaber from his belt yet didn't ignite it, spinning around to face the new possible danger instead.

A female emerged from the sparkling mist, dark maroon clothing making a stark contrast with the light, sandy walls of the temple. You recognized the markings on her grey face as ones usually associated with Zabraks; if the cold, unimpressed scowl on her face was anything to go by, you were safe to say that neither of you were welcome on her planet. "You trespass, Jedi." she spat, eyes fixed upon Cal's form. You wondered if she saw you at all.

The said Jedi, despite the obvious hostility expressed towards him, relaxed ever so slightly. "You must be a Nightsister," he spoke, softly; you turned your head to look at him, but decided against moving any further. _A Nightsister._ "I had heard you were all dead."

"Not all." she replied, twisting her hand in one quick, jerky motion; green energy dripped from her fingertips, summoning two more Zabraks - wielding weapons, on top of that - to appear behind her seemingly from thin air. "Dathomir is forbidden to you. Leave at once!" the Nightsister ordered, raising her hand to point a finger at the Jedi. 

Cal recoiled, but quickly regained his composure and took a careful step forward. "I'm afraid we can't do that, but perhaps we could help each other-"

The two Zabraks immediately drew their weapons, and you moved forward as well, stepping into their line of sight and hoping that you looked intimidating enough for these savages; after all, that's what you were here for - providing support. They growled, low and agitated, eyes snapping to you. You stood even straighter.

"Easy!" the Jedi interfered, very much aware of the escalating tension. "We are not your enemy!"

"Your actions say otherwise." the witch hissed in return, raising both of her hands up; when she brought them down, sparks of crackling, raw power flew from her clenched fists, concentrating around her form and then flying in all directions - you could do nothing but watch as that same energy seemed to possess the two warrior Zabraks. Their eyes glowed a cold, vicious green, and so did their weapons; the Nightsister disappeared in a flash of light, and you were left with two of her faithful servants.

The warriors were fast; you didn't even see the first one move - because of that, he had a chance to gain momentum and kick you backwards, into the wall. You groaned when your back met the uneven, coarse surface, sending dust and tiny pieces of broken rock flying everywhere.

That. _Hurt._

You were quick to recover, dodging out of the way when the Zabrak swung his weapon at you in hopes of finishing you off, again and again - it seemed as though his stamina was endless, much like his anger.

In the middle of avoiding yet another hit, you dared a glance at the Jedi, and found that he was having a hard time figuring out how to respond to these fast, precise attacks as well. You focused on your own opponent, using your staff to block certain blows and simply rolling out of reach whenever you couldn't block any longer.

The fight in itself was ridiculous. The more you dodged, the more irritated you felt, and the more bold you became; you were trained to fight _Jedi_ , the most difficult opponents in the galaxy. Zabraks might have been agile and swift, but they weren't patient or nearly as disciplined as you were. You bid your time, waited for the right moment, circled the area and were finally able to catch your opponent off-guard. His weapon clattered to the ground when you stepped to the side and thrust the end of your staff right into the middle of the warrior's exposed back. He howled in agony as purple electricity tore through the muscle, no doubt inflicting pain he has never felt before.

He collapsed too soon; you didn't expect a mighty fighter like this one to fall victim to such relatively insignificant levels of electrical current. You kicked his side, thus turning him over - and found his chest to be unmoving.

A strained gasp was heard from somewhere behind you, paired with a tell-tale sound of plasma burning through the flesh. A thud. And then silence.

"They might be capable, but they lack discipline." you breathed, deactivating your staff and slinging it over your shoulder once again - the Jedi tucked his lightsaber away and raised a hand to run it through his messy, fiery red hair.

"Spoken like a true Jedi." Cal managed a breathless chuckle, to which you shook your head in disapproval.

"I'll leave that title to you. I'm content with being a villain."

BD-1 chirped something from behind its owner's shoulder; the Jedi smiled even wider. "You're not a villain."

You barked out a startled laugh, placing both hands on your hips. "You're teaching your droid to lie? How very unexpected."

BD made a confused noise. The Jedi kept his silence for a long moment, doing nothing more than simply observing you with a certain glint to his eyes. Finally, he moved from his spot, brushing past you and muttering a low, smiling: "BD didn't say that. I did."

Speechless, you watched him go. Then you blew a quiet chuckle from between your lips.

_Jedi mind tricks._

* * *

The Nightsister seemed to have commanded the entirety of Zabraks - Nightbrothers, as they called themselves, - to attack on sight. You soon became acquainted with archers and their pet spiders that spewed poisonous mucus with every wound you inflicted on them.

The Jedi was the more advantaged one out of the two of you, simply due to the fact that he could deflect the shots Zabrak archers aimed at him. You, on the other hand, had to be a bit more careful, but that didn't take much away from the fight - your electricity burned them just as painfully as the lightsaber did.

At this point, you were so much more tired than you were before; the fights and skirmishes were getting harder and harder as you progressed further into the Nightbrother territory. Your body was beginning to feel stiff.

"I don't get it," you panted, addressing your companion as you brought your staff down, onto the Zabrak's foot. He howled in pain, to which you moved forward and slammed your shoulder into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards and off the rock platform, into the smoky unknown. "Do we plan on wiping all of the Dathomirians out, or are we here for something else?"

Cal grunted, rolling out of the way to avoid a blow, and sent his lightsaber flying forward; bright blue plasma pierced the warrior's torso, killing him instantly and whipping back towards the Jedi, spinning and landing into his open palm, like a blasted boomerang. You raised your brows at this, but said nothing.

After glancing around and making sure that you were in the clear, the redhead relaxed, eyes finally landing on your form. "I can't tell you."

You sighed in resignation. "Alright, fine, I get it. Jedi business. But at least tell me how much longer we're going to be stalking this place?"

"I don't know." Cal confessed, raising a hand to wipe at his face. He was sweating from exertion, and so were you - except that you also had the red sun shine mercilessly upon your armor-clad body. You felt like you were going to suffer a heat stroke, even with the helmet protecting your pounding head. "BD-1, show us the map?"

The droid chirped, happy to be of assistance. As it loaded the layout of the terrain under the Jedi's watchful eye, you spared a moment to take in the view.

Dathomirian winds were vicious, just like the inhabitants that powered through them every single waking day - you could hear tiny specs of dust clattering quietly against the surface of your helmet, making the air look even more heavy, painting it a dirty brown. Large Zeffonian statues lined both sides of the ruined pathway, clipped and stoic. Splinters and red-tinted markings made them look like they were warriors, scarred and bloodstained, forever frozen in time on this forsaken planet, doomed to rot and decay along with the flora and fauna.

Everything seemed dead.

A shiver crawled up your spine at the prickling sensation of someone's eyes on you.

You froze when your gaze landed on a hunching figure concealed by a large, dark cloak; without a moment of hesitation, you grabbed your weapon and took a couple of vast steps towards the gap in the bridge separating you from the mysterious form. "Identify yourself!" you barked, voice unexpectedly loud, echoing through the endless space.

"Hey," Cal spoke, already at your side, one gloved hand resting on your forearm. "Don't be rash."

The figure turned fully towards the two of you, a slow smile making its way onto his dark, bearded face. "Fellow travelers!" he greeted, sounding way too cheerful for someone who's been traversing through this hostile land. One of his hands flailed around, pointing at everything and nothing at the same time. "Greetings!"

You felt the Jedi squeeze your arm a bit tighter.

The stranger grinned. "Won't you come up and join me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy. So many things to write about, so little time.  
> Next chapters coming out soon!  
> Please leave a heart if you’re enjoying my work, stay tuned and as always, thank you for reading, friends! <3


	4. Sincere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "By the way," you halted to a stop, throwing a questioning look over your shoulder. Not that he could see it, but still; the redhead averted his eyes from your form, staring at some random spot off to the side. "My name is Cal. Not 'Jedi'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Thank you for checking in, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

You didn't take your eyes away from the stranger.

Cal had told you to be careful, which was why you decided to leave the talking up to the Jedi himself - if he was as diplomatic as he thought he was, then surely he would have no trouble getting the suspicious wanderer to leave your group alone.

But then again, Cal _did_ manage to make an enemy out of the Nightsister and her people. Your confidence in his negotiation skills was decreasing slowly but steadily.

The stranger was staring. You made a point to keep your weapon drawn, thumb tapping softly against the activation button in silent warning. Judging by the grin that split the man's face, your message was more amusing than it was intimidating in his opinion.

You already disliked him.

"A Jedi and an Imperial, traveling together?" the wanderer spoke, leaning casually against the crumbling piece of rock that probably once was a railing to the bridge; you tilted your head, taking in his figure in search of any visible weapons. "I must say that I haven't seen a duo like that ever before. How fascinating."

Neither you nor Cal spoke - you shot a glance at the Jedi, and found him just as tense as you were.

The traveler looked from you to Cal, then eyed BD-1, who's been hiding behind its owner's shoulder the entire time, still and quiet. "I see that you have met the resident Nightsister, but..." he paused, returning his gaze to you specifically. "Unlike most, you're alive."

"So are you," you replied, your near-mechanical voice shadowed by the hushed wailing of the sandy wind. "Coming to Dathomir, unarmed. You are either very brave or very stupid."

You expected him to switch from friendliness to hostility immediately after that, yet the smile that he gave you almost seemed _genuine._ He nodded in agreement, a strand of silver hair falling before his eyes due to the movement. "You, on the contrary, were prepared for the trip here, weren't you?" he chuckled, motioning to your staff, then to Cal's lightsaber; the Jedi immediately turned to the side, discreetly bringing his hand to his belt, to which the stranger made a small step forward. "No, no, don't hide it. That would explain your survival."

"Who are you?" Cal finally spoke, narrowing his eyes at the man; you watched as the wanderer raised both of his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

"You don't... no, no one to fear. No," he spoke, lighthearted. "Just a traveler! Studying the nature of..." he paused, directing his gaze upwards, towards the ruins of Dathomir that lay behind you, silent and deadly. He was choosing what to say next. "Distinct cultures and dead philosophies."

A frown made its way onto your face when your companion visibly relaxed, lowering his hand from the lightsaber's hilt; no way he believed that obvious lie. Even rookies at the Imperial academy were able to think of excuses better than that.

Still, you kept your silence, a tiny bit curious to know where this conversation was going to go.

"You're studying the Nightsisters?" Cal asked, moving closer to the stranger.

"Oh," the older man breathed, pale blue eyes sparkling with something akin to ill-concealed excitement. "I study many things. But yes, that Nightsister, oh." he glanced at you for a split second before resuming eye contact with the Jedi. "She was only a child when the war came to this world, poor girl. Had to watch her whole family perish."

If there was one thing you were always good at, it was picking up one's tone. Your commander rarely raised his voice at you, choosing to speak calmly and pretty much indifferently instead - the lack of emotion, however, was more than recompensed by punishment that followed were you to misunderstand, or, even worse, disobey. At times, it was difficult to know whether you were doing everything correctly. You were incredibly lucky if your superiors found your performance to be satisfactory.

And now, you sensed the knowing in the stranger's voice. The emotion he showed on his face might have passed for remorse if he was simply talking to someone like the Jedi, kind and naive. You, however, heard a mocking kind of sadness, one that rings with purpose of opening old wounds instead of soothing them.

Was he trying to get a reaction out of you? You kept staring at the wanderer, fingers curling a bit tighter on your weapon.

General Grievous was a hero that died a dishonorable death. An unfitting death, at the hands of a Jedi. The Battle of Dathomir was an accomplishment, a _victory._

You belonged to his order. To the Empire, even if they left you for dead - it was necessary. Unavoidable. Understandable.

The stranger turned his head to look at you, and there it was, your confirmation: his eyes gleamed with satisfaction, as if he knew that he had managed to catch your attention, get under your skin; the old man was smarter than you initially thought. He knew a lot. _He knew too much._

"What can you tell us about those ruins?" Cal's voice pulled you from your thoughts, and the traveler flinched, quickly turning to look at the Jedi.

The nagging, intrusive feeling of tension was all you were left with when the older man turned around. You felt lightheaded, as if someone had just roamed inside of your mind, digging up certain memories and bringing them right before your eyes - the heat pooling around you made you sweat, chest rising and falling, unsteadily, drawing deeper breaths.

_What a terrible planet._

"Oh." the stranger chuckled, motioning to the destroyed temple that lay just further ahead, seemingly out of reach. "Ancient beyond belief. The Nightsister and her warrior kin," he dropped his voice to a half-whisper, stepping towards the Jedi with purpose. "Were seduced by the power that lurks within."

The man paused, letting the words sink in. Almost immediately, Cal moved forward, curiosity practically rolling off him in waves; you took a firm step towards the Jedi with intention none other than stopping him, but the wanderer beat you to it. "Avoid the ruin," he warned. "Or suffer the same fate."

Cal glanced back, first at him, then at you. The stubborn determination that lit up his eyes did nothing to calm you down - you didn't even have time to object when the Jedi started moving, without a word of goodbye to the strange man.

Something in the furthest corner of your mind screamed at you to not turn your back on the traveler. You fixed him with a stare, and he responded with a smirk.

"I would be careful if I were you." he spoke quietly, nodding towards the Jedi's retreating form. "A truce as weak as this one might end sooner than you would expect."

You said nothing in return - and, ignoring the voice of reason, turned away, climbing after your companion.

The feeling of tension building up in your temples was back - something was definitely wrong. The feeling only multiplied when you moved further along the bridge, feeling the wind pick up its speed and howl into your ears, a threat ringing in the quiet whispers that came from the endless space below. You weren't afraid of heights, yet looking down proved to have been a bad idea.

You dug your fingers into the stone, dirt and dust clinging to your gloves as easily as spider webs. Cal halted to a stop, noticing your absence at his side, and turned to look. BD-1 booped questioningly, voicing its concern. "This is no place for a Jedi," you spoke, raising your eyes to look at your companion. "The Nightsister told you to leave. The wanderer told you the same thing. How many more people does it take to get you off this planet?"

Cal crossed his hands over his chest in a stiff, tense motion. "I don't _want_ to be here. But it's not about me anymore. I have a mission to accomplish, and _you_ have a promise to keep."

You paused before speaking again. "I hope you'll hold up your end of the bargain as well."

"I will."

You gave a nod and breathed a tired sigh before pushing yourself off the railing and stepping towards the Jedi, signaling that you were ready to proceed.

Cal, however, did not move from his spot. His gaze trailed down your body, to which you raised a brow under your helmet. "Eyes up here."

His face flushed with bright red, similar in shade to the stripes going across the BD unit's plating; his eyes snapped back towards your covered face, and you tried your best to suppress laughter that started bubbling in the back of your throat. "I wasn't!- You- It's not what you thought!" BD-1 beeped behind his shoulder, gleefully innocent. Cal shook his head, cheeks ablaze as he glared at you. "I was just thinking that you'll need new clothes."

"This again?" you chuckled. "What do you have against my armor, Jedi?"

"Nothing." he rolled his eyes, raising a gloved hand to rub at his temple. You could almost see the countless amount of thoughts that were jumping around in that ginger head of his. "It's just... You stand out. Plus it's damaged."

You looked down. The blast-resistant material pressed against your wound had proven to be not so resistant after all - it stretched and tore after the first fight against the Nightsister's servants back in that abandoned temple. "I would love a replacement for the chestplate. Guess it's a good thing we're going to Zeffo next, huh, Jedi?"

His brows twitched downwards, yet he gave a nod. You turned on your heel to proceed, dry rock rumbling under your boots - your companion then called out, audibly hesitant: "By the way," you halted to a stop, throwing a questioning look over your shoulder. Not that he could see it, but still; the redhead averted his eyes from your form, staring at some random spot off to the side. "My name is Cal. Not 'Jedi'."

He stubbornly refused to look at you.

You managed to suppress a smirk. "I'll keep that in mind, _Jedi_."

It took every ounce of your self-restraint to not start full-on guffawing at the frustrated sigh that was heard from behind you.

A sudden sharp sound, similar to a shout, shattered the lightheartedness as easily as someone flinging a rock into a fragile mirror; a hand was placed on your shoulder and you were shoved to the side - you barely caught glimpse of Cal jumping forward, blazing blue plasma spinning and deflecting energy blasts the three Nightbrothers shot at you from their purple-tinted bows.

"Kill the invaders!" one roared, lips pulling back into a snarl, showing off sharp teeth; his eyes were fixated on you as he loaded up another charge. You moved towards him, swinging your crackling electrostaff - the Nightbrother dodged right under your arm, slamming his bow against your back. The duraplast provided enough protection, yet you still stumbled forward, not quite expecting the blow.

You steadied yourself, spinning around to thrust your weapon forward. This time, the end of your staff hit the exposed torso of the archer, and he flinched from bright electricity that shot out, paralyzing him for a split second.

Someone whistled, loud and piercing; you heard the Jedi shout a warning before the ground crumbled behind you, completely destroyed from the impact of something heavy slamming into it from above. You lost your footing, one boot almost slipping from the platform, but you regained your balance once again with the help of your trusty staff - dug it into the dry, cracked rock and made an effort to push yourself forward.

When you looked up, the time seemed to slow. The archer's arms were tense as he loaded up another energy blast and took steady aim.

That was fine. Duraplast would absorb the damage, you were...

Realization came too late.

You barely made a sound when the energy shot right into the weak spot on your armor, in between the shattered plates; the trail it left was tinged with magenta and purple, cutting through the air like a whip. You thought that it went straight through you.

And then there was pain. Hot-white and burning, your flesh felt like it was set on fire - a muffled groan slipped past your lips before you staggered backwards and completely slipped off the rocky platform. You saw Cal rushing forward, slicing the last remaining archer in two with inhuman speed; a loud, panicked " ** _No_** _ **!**_ " tore from his throat, but before he could reach out through the Force, you were already in the air, plummeting down and hoping that the fall would kill you instantly.

Your back hit the ground, sending wet dirt flying in all directions; you grunted, ears ringing as your head collided with the hard surface, - you could have sworn that you saw all stars in the galaxy flash before your eyes, - and then consciousness slipped from your numb fingers.

It was blissfully dark.

* * *

When you came to, you wished with all of your heart to just _die_.

It was very hot. Your entire body was buzzing with nauseating warmth, yet sweat felt cold upon your face; your helmet was off again. Hesitantly, you moved your hand weakly at your side - and then instinctively flinched away when something grabbed onto your palm, squeezing it gently.

Instead of jumping up and attempting to free yourself, you found your body to be almost completely unresponsive. You relaxed against the ground, mind going blank - yet a voice, a familiar, worried voice cut through the silence, making you wince at the volume. "Hey. Stay with me."

 _The Jedi._ You forced yourself to open one eye, squinting against the red sunlight, persistent and unforgiving as always, and attempted to identify the blur of ginger that sat by your side.

"Oh, thank the Force." Cal breathed, sounding very relieved. You opened the other eye, blinking slowly at him, vision restoring little by little. The Jedi was sitting on his knees, leaning over you and thus shielding you from the burning sun; you watched him lean further down, so close that you could see the pale freckles scattered all over his cheeks, as well as the long scar running from the side of his neck and across his face, cutting through the bridge of his nose. His bright eyes stared straight into yours when he spoke again: "BD, run a scan."

A series of blue flashes lit up the space between the two of you, reflecting from the inside of Cal's irises and making them glow; it might have been the injury talking, but you caught yourself thinking that the Jedi was... pleasant-looking. Perhaps you could go as far as to say that he was attractive, in a sort of way.

Yes, it was definitely the injury talking. You carefully raised your hand to push it against Cal's chest. "I'm alright. Give me some space, Jedi."

He stared down at you, unconvinced. BD-1 booped quietly from somewhere above, chirping out a string of signals that you couldn't understand. "BD says you might have suffered a concussion."

"I've endured worse." you replied, pushing harder. The redhead conceded, drawing back with a disapproving frown. "I'll be up and walking in a minute."

You took a deep breath and turned yourself over to lay on your side, ignoring the droid's alarmed beeping that was probably a warning against getting up so soon. You propped yourself up on your elbow and breathed in once again, grimacing when your head responded with dull pain going across your skull in waves.

With the Jedi's help, you've managed to get up on your knees, then on your feet; one of his hands was resting on your waist for support, while the other one was grasping yours, leading you forward. You felt weak and helpless, but most importantly, ashamed. Ashamed of having no choice other than to rely on your sworn enemy, trust him with your life. Allow him to show kindness.

You remembered the academy and the way your superiors treated their trainees. No compassion. No understanding. Nothing but harsh, dry words spoken with deliberate mockery.

They were making warriors out of regular troopers. And here you were, a warrior, clutching onto a Jedi, of all people, as you struggled to walk - head spinning and heart hammering inside of your throat.

_Humiliating._

"One step at a time," Cal spoke softly, gripping onto your waist a bit tighter, drawing you a tad closer when you leaned too far to the side, still disoriented. "There you go."

"My staff." you spoke, unfiltered voice sounding far more vulnerable than it should have. _Weak. Weakling, weakling. Report to your commander. Your performance was less than satisfactory today, trooper._ "My staff," you raised your voice, pushing the Jedi's hands away from you. "Where is it?"

"You're not well-"

_You shall be assigned proper punishment._

"I can handle it." you growled, low and irritated. "Where is my staff?"

Cal sighed in defeat, then walked off in the direction of a large rock. You swayed, no longer steady without support, yet managed to keep yourself upright until the Jedi came back with your weapon in his covered hand. You grabbed it with urgency, digging one end into the ground and leaning your weight against the body of the electrostaff, gloves squeaking under your fingertips.

Silence hung over the three of you, tense and heavy. BD-1 was blinking up at you in concern, while its owner stood completely still, watching you, no doubt ready to catch you if you were to fall down.

You felt something warm sticking to your skin under the duraplast plating. In your haste, you didn't even realize that your wound was covered with the protective material once again, a tiny piece of bloodied white patch peeking from under it. The Jedi must have taken care of it while you were out.

"BD-1 used a healing stim even before I told him to." Cal spoke up, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The said droid made a startled noise, and, when you looked down at it, its box-like head turned away in an almost bashful manner as it shuffled its feet.

"You could have left me to die." you stated, placing a hand over your covered wound. It didn't hurt at all. "You _should_ have left me to die."

The Jedi's smile was gone now. The expression he made was serious, concentrated; it reminded you of the time you first met, when he was the first person you got to see after waking up from your supposed death - only this time, the nervousness was gone, replaced by a chilling resoluteness. "Unlike the Empire, the Jedi have honor.”

Your mind went completely blank. For the first time since your unwilling stay on the Stinger Mantis, you actually considered his words, without the doubts or resentment. The injury must have been worse than you first thought.

"A fool's errand," you spat bitterly, turning away to attempt another step forward. Strength was returning to your body once again. "Dragging a dead weight around."

BD-1 booped a sad little noise, so you bit your lip and carefully bent down to pick up your helmet, eagerly pulling it over your aching head. The shuddering breath that left your lips passed through the vocoder, coming out harsh and hissing.

There was caked blood pulling at the hair on the back of your skull, yet you paid it no mind; you've dealt with worse. Filtered air filled your lungs, and you inhaled slowly, feeling the bitterness prickle at your tongue.

You turned towards the Jedi and rolled your shoulders, then slung your weapon across your back. "Seems like we're going up." you eyed the wall with weird glowing vines hanging from it, same as the ones you had to climb in order to cross the depth between the landing site and Strangled Cliffs. You approached them and took hold of a thick strand, testing it before getting ready to jump.

"Back on Mantis, you asked me if I regretted not killing you."

Your movements halted, and you froze to the spot, fingers still clenched tightly around the colorful vine.

_He was going to say that he regrets it. What's stopping him from killing you right here? It would be so easy. You're weak, wounded; his lightsaber would cut you in half._

"And?" you spoke up, quiet. "Do you?"

_He does. He has every right to. You are his enemy, as he is yours. Why wouldn't he?_

"I don't."

**_... What?_ **

You turned to look, and there he was - standing in the crimson rays of merciless Dathomirian sun, exhausted and battle-weary, yet still so bright, so full of life. He gave you a smile that made your heart skip several beats; the galaxy was full of cutthroats, dangers and filth, each and every planet was poisoned in one way or another, and yet still, _somehow_ , you found yourself fighting alongside someone so sincere that his voice managed to drown out the voices of your commanders, as well as your voice of reason. He chased them all out without even trying to.

"I am glad to have you as my ally. Even if it's temporary," he stepped closer, the pure, unadulterated kindness swimming in his glowing eyes; BD-1 chirped jovially behind his back. "I am glad that you're here."

You didn't move for a long while, a thousand questions flooding your mind and yet none of them making it past your lips.

So you shook your head. "Let's move already. We wasted enough time."

You both heard the smile in your filtered, rumbling voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a heart if you're new here, and stay tuned for more!


	5. Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The slide was messy but, thankfully, short. The path morphed into an open space below, and the fact that it was _below_ did not register until you were airborne and then falling down along with your companions in a flurry of mud, stones and snapped off twigs of dried up plants.
> 
> No, Dathomir was definitely your least favorite planet in the entirety of this vast galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back! I am alive, and all is well in this world. Apologies for the delay.  
> Enjoy!

"That's locked."

"Probably for the better." you said, watching as the Jedi attempted to press the glowing circle once more. The large, completely unclimbable stone door remained closed. "So far, none of the doors we've managed to open had anything useful behind them."

Cal shrugged. "We're still gonna have to find a way around. We're very far down."

BD-1 booped in agreement. You leaned against the stone column, crossing your hands over your chest. "Can't you just break the door down?"

The redhead turned to look at you. "What? How?"

"With the Force." you raised one of your hands before you, muscles tensing as you slowly closed your fist with a heavy, exaggerated exhale. "You can do that, am I wrong?"

"That is not how it works." the Jedi gave you a patient smile, but you could tell that he wanted to roll his eyes. You smirked. "Besides, it's not a simple door. I can't just open it with sheer will."

"Alright." you pushed yourself off the column and started walking back the way you came from. "Let's backtrack. Maybe there's another entrance."

Dathomir could easily become your least favorite planet in the galaxy. The air felt heavier down here, it smelled of smoke and bitter poison; there were, however, more curious things to consider. Bright yellow flags that hung from above, swaying with the wind, the clay pots, some broken and some filled to the brim with water and suspicious-looking liquids. Even the rope that you had to climb seemed very used. Coupled with the conveniently lit fires on the walls, it was safe to say that this place was very-well lived in.

Perhaps you were heading straight into that Nightsister's lair.

"Over here," you tore your gaze from the flickering fire dancing atop of an oiled torch, and looked towards the Jedi. "I found something."

You eyed the narrow opening in the wall: it wasn't just a crack in the stone, but a passageway, lined with glistening wood planks that were tied together with old-looking ropes. "That's a tight squeeze."

"I'll go first." Cal placed his foot forward, turning to the side in order to be able to fit through. He looked back at you with a grin. "Don't fall behind."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy."

The further you moved, however, the more you wished you insisted on finding another way out. You stayed close to Cal, gloved palms sliding along the dark wood, collecting dirt and dust; you bumped your helmet against the walls several times when you tried to look back, making sure that nobody was following you - hissing quietly whenever that happened, earning an amused boop from BD-1 each and every time. You glared at the droid and it beeped cheekily, tilting its box of a head at you as it sat on the Jedi's back. _Little tin can_.

The passageway was, thankfully, short, and you exited the narrow space after your companions.

And immediately, you were greeted with a sight that placed Dathomir on the top of your 'worst planets in the galaxy' list.

Cocoons, made of slimy, pinkish tissue that was strikingly similar to real flesh, drained of all blood, hung from the ceiling. Ropes were tying those mangled pieces together, not letting them fall apart. Something viscous was dripping from them, as well.

"Maker," you breathed, taking a careful step back. You were not squirmish by any means, but _this_ managed to beat everything you have seen so far throughout your service to the Empire. At this point, Bogano seemed so much nicer than it did before. "Jedi... What is that?"

Cal did not have time to reply; a flash of bright emerald materialized on a higher level, above a flat stone that overlooked this gruesome display. "You will go no further!" a familiar voice ordered, and the mysterious Nightsister appeared out of thin air, wisps of green floating around her maroon-clothed figure.

You reached for your staff, yet the Jedi was already moving, lightsaber ablaze and a frown darkening his expression. "Stand aside."

"No." the witch replied, staring straight at Cal. "He was right about you."

You were beginning to feel neglected, honestly; even her words seemed like they were addressed to the Jedi, and him only. You tilted your head, watching your companion with curiosity.

The Jedi halted his movements, puzzlement clear on his face. "Who... What?"

"Jedi are thieves and selfish liars who bring nothing but death!" the Nightsister spat; bitter venom dripping from her words could easily rival that of the bane back spiders.

A little while ago, you would have gladly agreed with her statement, because the Jedi were indeed portrayed as enemies of the galaxy for a long time. Merciless murderers that killed for the sake of their little order - an order that crumbled like a sandcastle as soon as the Empire gained control.

But not now. You saw what Cal was capable of, despite being so young, and yet still, he fought with honor. He didn't steal from the dead. He didn't come to Dathomir for a selfish reason, you knew that much. He saved your life, and not even once - despite knowing that you were sworn enemies, he gave his time, his patience, to you.

Which was why you stepped forward, hands empty, staff resting on your back, and spoke up: "What quarrel do you have with this Jedi?"

Her dark eyes snapped towards you, and she paused, taking you in, as if seeing you for the first time. Her heavy gaze settled on your shoulder pauldron, and she scowled even more. "I don't recognize your insignia. But if you are here with him," her words came out as a furious growl. "Then you are my enemy as well."

"Back off." Cal raised his voice, inching slightly closer to you, either seeking support or intending to protect you if anything were to happen. "If you attack us again, I'll strike you down."

"Simmer down." this time, you were the one to place a calming hand on his shoulder; the Jedi frowned even more at that, but said nothing. You didn't look away from the Nightsister, although she couldn't tell anyway because of your helmet. "We can make a deal. You help us find what we are looking for, and we leave. No blood will be shed." You noticed Cal eyeing you carefully. "Your people have lost enough during the Massacre, would you truly wish for them to lose even more?"

She was trembling with rage. Fists clenched and eyes wide, glistening with angry, unshed tears, the Nightsister bared her teeth. "How dare you speak about it!" she cried out, voice shadowed by a low rumbling that seemed to come from the pale ground. "I will make no such deal! Dathomir will destroy you, and I will be there to watch, along with my murdered sisters!"

Green energy circled around the cocoons, tearing the ropes off and allowing the tissue to open; you backed away along with Cal, staff at the ready, and could do nothing but watch as skeletons dropped to the ground in a hail of dirt, red cloth and unidentified substance.

The Nightsister disappeared again. You hoped that chasing her around this cursed place would not become your main objective.

The undead rose to their feet, swaying, thin legs trembling under the weights of their bodies; one immediately jumped towards the Jedi, but crumbled to the ground after several quick swipes of his lightsaber. You weren't so lucky - the remaining two focused on you and decided to attack at the same time. You blocked one of them, startled when she managed to push you back; the other one lunged at you from the side, but she couldn't reach you - the lightsaber hissed angrily when it hit her in the back, burning through the exposed bone.

You ducked out of the third one's way and swung your staff, aiming for her head; a disgusted noise left you when the undead Nightsister's neck snapped at an unnatural angle with a sickening sound, and she fell down, only to remain unmoving.

"We have to leave this place." you said, turning towards the Jedi. He deactivated his weapon and hung it on his belt, then ran a hand through his fiery hair with a sigh.

"You know that we can't." Cal gave you a meaningful glance.

"I think it's time you tell me why we are here." he pressed his lips tightly together. You shook your head at him, slightly disappointed. "Fine. But when we find it, whatever 'it' is, you're gonna have to tell me regardless."

The Jedi appraised you for a long moment. BD-1 chirped behind his back, most likely impatient to get going; you eyed the little machine before slinging your weapon over your shoulder and taking a couple of steps towards the passageway leading further into the Nightsisters’ territory.

"I will tell you." Cal called from behind you. "After we find it, like you said."

You tilted your helmet in his direction. "Then let's go and get it."

* * *

"Oh no."

"Hey. Look at me."

"Jedi, I don't think I can do this."

"Look at me."

"I _am_ looking!" you growled, directing your glare up, towards Cal, who's been crouching atop of a dark branch that was placed right above you. "I can't jump that high."

"I made it, and you can too." Cal insisted, ducking down to extend his hand towards you. You breathed an exasperated breath, carefully shifting your feet - and almost losing your balance in the process. "Careful! Just jump up, and I will catch you."

"I doubt you'll be able to pull me up."

"Wanna bet?"

"With my life at stake? No, Jedi, I don't!" you lowered your gaze and immediately looked back up, heart ramming against your ribcage in panic. You couldn't even see the bottom of the smoky pit you were standing atop of.

Cal sighed; BD-1 chirped something, apparently addressing its owner, and you shot a glance at them, pausing when the Jedi straightened up with a mischievous glint to his eyes.

_Oh no._

"You fought an Oggdo, and you can't make this tiny jump?"

"Provoking me is not going to work, Jedi."

"I found you halfway dead. You took a risk, why not do it now? Are you..." he paused, now openly grinning. "Afraid?"

A large, winged shadow passed by in the distance, but you paid it no mind.

"I am not!" you hissed, now getting more irritated by the second. Taking a tiny step forward, you quickly raised your gloved hand as soon as the Jedi opened his mouth again. "Stop talking!"

 _He was enjoying this_. BD-1 cackled in a series of short, cheerful beeps, yet Cal fought hard to prevent himself from laughing. "I thought you were tougher than that."

"Just wait until I get up there." was all warning you gave him before you jumped forward, barely managing to grasp onto the branch.

You felt the weak wood splinter under your fingers, stabbing through the gloves; a startled yelp escaped through the vocoder when one of your hands slipped, leaving the entirety of your body weight up to your other arm.

"I got you!" Cal dropped down and caught your free hand - with combined effort, you were up on the branch in no time, with your arm secured tightly within the Jedi's grasp. He led you forward, making sure that you didn't lose your balance again, and when you both stepped onto the rocky ground, you dropped to your knees, chest heaving. Cal, too, let out a relieved sigh. "Close call."

"I thought I was a goner for a second," you replied, breathing deep to calm your racing heart. After a moment of silence, your helmet snapped up to look at the Jedi. "You did this on purpose."

"It worked, didn't it?" he smiled sheepishly. There was a warmth to his eyes when he spoke again: "I told you I'd catch you."

"Yeah, yeah." you carefully got up, dusting yourself off. "We're never doing that again, got it?"

Cal chuckled at that. "Sure."

You marched forward, and the Jedi tagged along. BD-1 jumped off Cal's shoulder and dashed forward, chirping in excitement as it scanned strange markings painted on the nearest wall in yellow; you hesitated before tapping your companion's shoulder, and you both halted to a stop. He looked at you with curiosity. "What is it?"

You stared at him for a second. "Thanks for saving me." you mumbled. The Jedi blinked in surprise, but you turned away quick enough to avoid witnessing his lips pull into a wide smile.

* * *

As much as you disliked the creatures inhabiting Dathomir, you had to admit that their survival skills were very, very impressive.

The Empire always made an emphasis on survival, but only in terms of fighting. Of course, you knew the basics of surviving in less than pleasant conditions, but usually none of the troopers lived long enough to tell the story of actually finding use for those skills.

You could very well be the first one.

Despite that the entire structure _beneath_ the surface level of Dathomir seemed old and crumbling, everything that held up these gigantic, carved stones and weird flora was pretty sturdy. You figured it couldn't have been built without at least a bit of Nightsister magick, but the amount of work that was once put into making a home out of this dry, unwelcoming land was indeed massive. You still, however, couldn't figure out where the Nightbrothers got food and water from.

As the three of you traveled straight through the very depths of Dathomir, you came across a ton of surprises. Take the pit that was inhabited by a feral Nydak for example - the Jedi claimed that the Nightbrothers were thrown into the pit as a form of discipline, to set an example. It was certainly curious, but not very practical; the Empire used different forms of punishment for mistakes made by troopers, but death wasn't one of them. Reconditioning, and, in rare cases, torture, sure, but not deliberate murder.

You also took notice of the Jedi's curious ability to see events of the past by merely touching an object - or subject - connected to those events. It was a rare ability, otherwise you would have already heard about it during your training, since the Empire was always so thorough in search for all kinds of information. You didn't ask Cal about it, but witnessing him recount incidents that he saw in some sort of a haze was enough to assume that it was exactly how he found out about your unfortunate fight against the Oggdo.

It was a bit unnerving, if you were honest. The Jedi could see right through the lies and discover anything about anyone with nothing but a feather-like touch - and it made you slightly tense. You paid extra attention to avoid making any sort of contact with his uncovered hand.

Yet another Nightbrother was down, cut down by the merciless, buzzing plasma; you watched Cal move forward, checking if you were in the clear, and then jumped off the wooden plank suspended high in the air. With a grunt, you landed and rolled, hissing at the strain on your stomach - you shook your head when the Jedi moved closer to help, and got up yourself, eyes immediately landing upon a tall structure that laid ahead, dark and intimidating.

You stared at what looked to be a fortress in awe. "Impressive."

Cal looked at you briefly before shrugging. "It is, I guess. Too bad they're not gonna let us in."

"I am content with admiring from afar," you sighed before rolling your shoulders. "But we still need to pass through. Can you lower the bridge?"

The Jedi squinted, looking up, at the steel rings suspending the large, sloppily chopped bridge in the air; then he nodded, stepping forward and extending his hand.

You watched him concentrate and clench his fingers into a fist, then pull his arm back quickly; with a suffering groan, the chains gave way, freeing the tied up planks and allowing them to fall - you took a hasty step back when the entirety of the bridge slammed down right before your feet. Pieces of splintered wood flew in all directions, but the Jedi paid them no mind; he started running, and you followed after, rushing full speed across the creaking structure.

"It's the outsiders! They lowered the bridge!" someone yelled from above. BD-1 beeped in alarm as Cal dodged to the side - an energy blast zoomed right past him, barely grazing his shoulder. You followed his lead, avoiding enemy fire the best you could, helmet snapping up when a spiked metal gate closed in front of you.

"Not that way!" you immediately halted and turned, purple energy blasting the ground close to your feet. The Jedi was already sprinting towards the dark opening to the side, looking over his shoulder to check on you.

He paused, using his lightsaber to deflect several shots while you were making a run for his position; when you finally reached him, you couldn't help growling out a curse. " _Kriffing hell._ "

"Take them out!" came an order from somewhere above, and you took hold of your staff, not really knowing how that would help.

"We gotta jump!" Cal called from behind you, strain audible in his voice; you turned, prepared to fight, but not prepared for the Jedi to grasp your hand and tug you after him.

Gravity did the rest; with a startled gasp, you stumbled backwards and almost immediately, your back slammed into the muddy slope. Cal's grip on your hand was almost bruisingly strong, but thanks to that, the two of you didn't get separated throughout the fall. Dirt and rocks flew up in the air as you desperately attempted to direct the movements of your body so that the two of you - three, if you included the screeching droid barely holding onto the Jedi's back - didn't crash into the glistening walls of the narrow passageway.

The slide was messy but, thankfully, short. The path morphed into an open space below, and the fact that it was _below_ did not register until you were airborne and then falling down along with your companions in a flurry of mud, stones and snapped off twigs of dried up plants.

No, Dathomir was definitely your least favorite planet in the entirety of this vast galaxy.

You landed first, and the Jedi followed after; his forehead knocked against the front of your helmet when he fell right on top of you, a pained howl escaping his mouth when he drew back, accidentally shifting his knee and pressing it into your still healing stomach wound. At this point, you weren't sure that it will ever heal.

" _Jedi!_ " you hissed, actively squirming, now pressed fully to the ground by the entirety of Cal's weight, and raised both of your hands to push against him. "Watch it!"

"Ow..." he grunted, all but rolling off your form and sinking to the muddy earth. "That hurts."

"You could have warned before making that reckless jump," you made an effort to sit up, eyeing BD-1 as the latter hurried to stand on wobbly legs. The droid sprinted to its owner, throwing him a stim canister - Cal breathed a relieved sigh before injecting the healing liquid into his arm. You've only now noticed the many tears and scratches that added up to his appearance as a result of your fall, and you suddenly realized that he must've taken the most out of this tumble. You got up, a bit unsteady, and bent down to offer a hand to the Jedi. "Just give me a heads up next time."

Cal looked up at you with surprise, but the amusement swimming in the depths of his colorful eyes instantly took over. He accepted your help with a grin. "Do you plan on staying around for the 'next time'?"

Letting go and watching him fall back down was tempting, but you managed to suppress that urge. "Hopefully I'll be long gone before that."

The Jedi breathed a quiet laugh. "Fine, fine. Oh, and..." he suddenly paused, eyes dropping down to your hand that you pressed tightly against your stomach. "Sorry for... uh..." you weren't sure if the color tinting his face was from the reddish lighting in the swamps, or something else, and so you tilted your helmet slightly in a questioning manner. "For falling on top of you. Do you want a stim?"

Now was your turn to smirk. "Save it. We'll be here for a while."

"Alright, if you're sure." Cal glanced down, seeing BD-1 already up and about, muddy water splattering underneath its tiny feet as the droid jumped from one plant to the next, actively scanning each and every one of them. "Let's go then. Looks like BD found something."

You picked up your staff from the ground and brushed the dirt off your kama. "Lead the way."

The swamps seemed quieter than the rest of this planet, and it was enough to make you slightly nervous. The Nydaks weren't the silent sort, neither were the Nightbrothers - which meant that the area might have been inhabited by something far worse. You hoped that you were wrong.

BD-1 stood in front of a strange-looking flower growing from the water - deep red, fleshy leaves reminded you of the cocoons the dead Nightsisters were resting inside of, and you made a disgusted noise, both at the sight and the smell. "What is that?"

The droid turned its head to look at you and chirped something. You looked over at Cal, hoping that he will be able to translate, but the Jedi was already kneeling in front of the terrifying plant and collecting smaller pieces that were sprouting from the ground below the larger one. "I'd say these are too creepy for Greez, but... he's Greez."

The BD unit cackled in response; you stared at the flower, incredulous. "Greez collects these?"

Cal turned slightly to glance at you for a second, but then looked back down to the small fabric pouch he's been placing what you presumed to be seeds inside of. "Yeah. He's got a terrarium on Mantis, you didn't see it?"

"If I remember correctly, I was too busy attempting to antagonize him." you chuckled. "So no, I didn't have time to take notice."

"You know," the Jedi rose to his feet, pausing to let the droid climb back onto his shoulder and attach itself to the harness. "He might come to like you. He won't show it, but he might."

"I don't care, Jedi."

"But you do. I haven't seen you react to anything as actively as you did to his words." there it was again, the amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. You rolled your eyes beneath your helmet.

"Say what you want. Now let's stop wasting time and get moving."

BD-1 chirped a series of signals, most likely agreeing. Cal nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

* * *

Yes, Dathomir was definitely the worst planet in the galaxy.

You weren't sure how you were still standing after all of the countless fights against Nydaks and murdered Nightsisters, all of which wanted you more dead than themselves. Of course, you had the Jedi as backup, but no matter how much training he had, his connection to the Force seemed slightly unstable. Severed, even; you would often see him grimace when he used his powers, as if the energy was being drained from him. You presumed it was the aftermath of some trauma he received during the Purge, but didn't dare to ask - there were questions that were better off left unanswered.

Not that you had time to sit down and have a chat about your past - the swamps were full of enemies, and their amount surpassed the amount of those on the surface level by at least a dozen. At times, you even fled, choosing to save your strength for the difficult climbs further up, but not all creatures were easy to escape from.

Finally, the three of you made your way into a poorly lit cave. BD-1 was quick to activate its spotlight, a single beam illuminating the hollow space before you; almost as soon as you and your companions moved further inside of the den, the walls boomed with an echo of the Nightsister's familiar voice.

" _Only death awaits you here._ " she spoke into your ears, and you whipped around, but found no one behind you. Her presence was still lingering, and even if you weren't Force-sensitive, you could feel her watch your movements, track you with thousands of invisible eyes. A shudder made its way up your spine, and you gripped onto the cold stone wall beside you a bit tighter.

"Should we turn back?" you suggested, to which Cal glanced at you over his shoulder. "She warned us just now."

"She's probably trying to manipulate us," he spoke quietly in return, mindful of the volume. A large piece of dark vine snapped off and fell down - you looked beneath your feet for a moment and watched it disappear into the darkness. The more you progressed, the heavier the air became and the stuffier your chest felt; your instincts told you to turn around and get out, but you pushed it all back down and followed your companion. If the Jedi didn't feel anything out of ordinary, then you shouldn't either.

Water ran from the ceiling in thin rivulets, the constant drip-drop echoing throughout the cave. You carefully moved after Cal, making sure that your feet were placed solidly on the wet stone. Slipping was not a option here.

The sudden drop led to an open space covered in dark mud. The Jedi went first, landing carefully, and you followed suit, managing to jump down without much trouble. The little droid leapt from its owner's back and sprinted forward - Cal immediately called out to it and jogged after, yet you fell behind, looking around warily.

The feeling in the pit of your stomach only worsened now. It might have been hunger, but you knew better than to write it off as that; something was very, _very_ wrong.

You decided to stick close to the Jedi for now. When you approached, you saw Cal attempting to take off some sort of a clawed knuckle bracelet off a Nightbrother's corpse - the redhead glanced briefly up before motioning you closer. "Help me get these off."

"Let's hurry." you muttered, grasping the shoulders of the dead Zabrak and holding him in place.

He tugged once, twice, along with BD-1 booping encouragingly, and then there was a quiet rumble.

Your eyes met Cal's for a split second, then you both simultaneously turned around and looked up.

A large, winged and very angry _something_ sat on the wall above, eyes narrowed and disfigured beak slightly open - it pushed off its resting place and soared up, torn wings flapping as it remained in the air for a brief moment before slamming its massive body into the ground with a loud, ferocious growl.

Your staff was back in your hands for probably the thousandth time; BD-1 ducked behind Cal's shoulder, now completely silent, while the Jedi activated his lightsaber and inched slightly closer to you.

"So," you managed, finding your voice far more faint that you hoped it was. "What's the plan, Jedi?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you're enjoying the story! Please leave a heart if you do and you are new here, and I thank you for reading, my friend. I appreciate you!  
> Until next time <3


	6. Monstrous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panic, gross and persistent feeling of pure _fear_ started to make its way into your mind. You weren't sure that you were going to survive this encounter.
> 
> On the bright side, at least this death was somewhat honorable. Anything was better than getting killed by a blasted Oggdo, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, super late, but better late than never, right? Hahaha...  
> Who? Writer's block? Who's that?  
> Please enjoy!

When it came to being optimistic, you could definitely say that you were _not_ the person to seek comfort from. Still, you've always tried to search for the best outcome, which was why you were still alive; despite the fact that the odds were not in your favor almost every time you have encountered a difficult situation, you fought hard and you succeeded.

But _this_ thing was _all the way_ out of the range of 'difficult situations' you have ever found yourself in.

You attempted to swat away depressive thoughts as you stood before the enormous beast, unmoving, but they just kept on coming. You suddenly felt very small and very insignificant, which was probably true - judging by the size of that monster alone, you could definitely see yourself being flung out of the cave with a single sneeze from its flat nose.

"I can't see how we're gonna beat it." you admitted quietly, gritting your teeth when the creature let out an ear-splitting shriek.

Cal fidgeted by your side, just as nervous. "I might have a plan."

"Oh yeah?" you turned your helmet slightly in his direction. "Care to share?"

He didn't get a chance to. A large, fleshy wing slammed into the ground between the two of you, sending a wave of rocks and dirt flying everywhere. You were thrown back, but managed to land smoothly, using your staff for additional support. The Jedi was slower to get up, and you heard him groan in pain as the monster followed him, relentlessly bashing its clawed wings into the soil.

"So what about that plan?!" you yelled, but the fiend didn't even spare a look at you. Large, curved claws at the tops of its wings pierced through the ground with ease, and it turned its body in circle, chasing after your companion.

"New plan!" Cal shouted back, using his lightsaber to cut through the thick skin of the creature's upper limbs; it drew back, hissing in pain, but then resumed its attacks with renewed vigor. "Improvise!"

 _Improvise,_ he said. You moved after the Jedi, keeping your position directly behind your enemy's back, and squinted in an attempt to make out anything that could be useful.

Its spine was encased in countless layers of protective tissue, and it looked pretty much impenetrable. Its legs were, on the contrary, almost completely bare, with long claws that dug into the dirt, most likely helping the creature keep its balance.

You rushed forward, trying your best to dodge its wings as it swung at the Jedi, and pressed your thumb against the activation button of your weapon. Saturated violet flashed like a lightning strike when you ducked down and thrust the staff into the side of your enemy's leg - it growled angrily, pale skin becoming slightly redder at the point of contact. Alas, your attack dealt no damage whatsoever, and you were sent flying into the nearest wall after nothing more than a single lazy kick of the creature's foot.

It did, however, lose its balance, which gave Cal a chance to move closer and land deadly blows on the vulnerable tips of the wings; your arms trembled when you pushed yourself up, shoulder responding with dull pain - you mumbled a curse under your breath and sank back down, breathless.

Your companion wasn't doing much better - he hardly dodged a blow, sharp claws barely missing his leg as he lunged out of the way. BD-1 injected him with stims every now and then, but you knew that the supply would run out eventually. The monstrous fiend didn't seem tired at all, and you were already halfway dead. That wasn't right.

Grunting, you tried getting up again, and, once you were on your knees, jerked your shoulder. A satisfying 'pop' was all confirmation you needed to know that nothing was broken, and so you quickly got back up, staggering a bit. Your head was spinning, but your fingers still clenched tightly around the middle of your weapon.

The creature turned, white eyes landing on your form - with a growl, it raised its wing and brought it back down, clearly intending to squash you like a bug; you dodged just in time, but the enemy was slower to recover. You realized that its claw was stuck in the ground, and then, without thinking, you rushed forward and swung your staff at its large forehead.

You were surprised to see the beast recoil in panic, a pained shriek escaping its gaping mouth when electricity burned its skin, grey hue being replaced with bright crimson. Furious, it lunged forward, beak snapping at the air in front of it - you backed away, eyes darting around in search for Cal. "The head! Aim for the head!"

You thought you saw Cal grin as he ran past, making a full circle while the creature was busy regaining its balance.

The attacks that followed were much more precise and focused; now that the two of you knew of your enemy's weak spot, you used every opportunity to strike - the fiend grew angrier and angrier, but also sloppier and more disorganized.

At one point, it drew back with a pained cry and opened its massive wings to their full length, almost completely blocking out the light coming from an opening higher up in the wall of the cave. You relaxed a bit, watching as it soared up and started to fly away.

Unfortunately, the beast was not done.

Your hands instinctively flew up to cover your ears, but were unable to because you had a helmet on - you thought you had gone deaf for a moment as the intensity of the sound shot through your brain.

The ground rumbled, and that blood-curdling scream echoed all around; rocks clattered against each other, and you looked up, eyes widening upon witnessing a flurry of stones that was headed straight for you.

"Look out!"

The Jedi tackled you to the ground and out of harm's way, just a moment before it was too late; Cal was already up when you opened your eyes again, pulling at both of your arms in an attempt to get you to stand. You hurriedly got up, and the two of you moved at the same time, avoiding another wave of rocks that were moved by the echoes tearing from the fiend's mighty throat.

"What are we supposed to do?!" you shouted, wincing at the volume of your own voice. When no answer came, you turned to look at your companion, only to find him standing there frozen, glued to the spot - staring up. "Jedi?"

You shifted your gaze back up, and saw the monster's head turn at a weird angle to glare directly at you. It growled, low and agitated, before turning slightly and falling, limbs tense and beak wide open.

"Duck!" Cal placed a firm hand on your shoulder and pushed you down; you both dropped to the ground, and a powerful current blew along your spine - the creature barely grazed your armor with its claws, but it was unable to grab you like it intended to.

"Why me?" you got up along with the Jedi, yet he refused to let go, one of your hands trapped in his firm hold, fingers intertwined; Cal briefly looked at you before grabbing his lightsaber once again and glancing back up.

"I don't know." he replied, watching wide-eyed as the winged monster turned swiftly around and flew higher, glare still locked on you. "Stay back."

You decided against objecting and allowed the Jedi to pull you behind him, free hand gripping onto your weapon.

The creature lunged again with a thunderous roar - it shouldn't have been able to move so quickly, yet it did; Cal swung his lightsaber as soon as the fiend got close enough, sparks flying when one of its toes came clean off, sizzling orange flashing bright against the burned skin. It wasn't enough.

A startled gasp escaped you when claws scratched at your armor and managed to stab through the body glove jumpsuit underneath, opening new cuts but failing to injure you significantly; you were up in the air in no time, limbs dangling uselessly as the creature adjusted its hold on you, thus turning you sideways - you lost your grip on the electrostaff and watched as it clattered to the ground while you were taken further up, into the opening of the cave.

Cal shouted something, and you saw him raise both of his hands up in an attempt to pull the fiend back. It did nothing - the winged monster shrieked, loud and furious, as it carried you outside, gripping onto your body so tight that it was hard to breathe.

You hissed against the stubborn rays of Dathomirian sun and started squirming, eager to free your arms. Once you realized that it was useless, you grit your teeth and growled. "You kriffing bird! Let me go, you piece of-"

One glance down was all it took to cease your struggling; your stomach made several backflips, while your heart decided to leave its residence inside of your chest and climb into your throat instead, thus making you feel nauseous. Blood rushed wildly in your ears, and you couldn't look away from the pit that lay beneath you, bottomless and dark.

It was a very, _very_ long way down.

The beast passed between two tall rock formations, wings barely clipping the sandy tops, then it slowed, wind howling in the space around you as the massive body lowered itself with obvious intentions of landing. And killing you, most likely.

Panic, gross and persistent feeling of pure _fear_ started to make its way into your mind. You weren't sure that you were going to survive this encounter.

On the bright side, at least this death was somewhat honorable. Anything was better than getting killed by a blasted Oggdo, really.

You yelped as the creature suddenly flipped around, turning its body completely, and making a circle before taking off in the direction it came from. You could barely think, all thoughts mixed up together, but one of them fired brighter than the rest inside of your brain.

_It was coming for the Jedi._

Your helmet turned from side to side, eyes frantically searching for anything you could do in this situation. You were lucky that the beast hasn't let go of you yet, and you were not going to test its patience by inflicting more damage - well, not like you _could_ either way; without your staff, you were as helpless as the little Bogling you left back on Mantis. It would be such a shame if you died and never got to see the ginger creature again.

Speaking of ginger - now that you were turned with your back against the sun, your eyes had no trouble finding the spot of fiery red that was steadily scaling up the wall of glowing rocks, a familiar staff strapped to his back and a white-plated droid desperately hanging onto it; the monster tightened its hold on you even more and screeched in anger, wings flopping wildly, sending orange dust flying in all directions. You dug your fingers into the thick skin of the winged fiend's toes and, after getting a lungful of air, yelled as loud as you could: "BEHIND YOU!"

The creature growled, startled by the sound of your voice; the Jedi paused for a second, quickly looking over his shoulder before starting to move faster, aware of the fact that the monstrous bird was going to be crashing into the wall any second now.

You heard BD-1 screech in panic, and then your entire body was slammed against the rock; a pained cry tore from your throat, but most of the damage was absorbed by your armor - your ears, however, rang loud and piercing. The gigantic predator roared as it started climbing after your companions, dragging you along - somehow, you managed to not slip from its grasp, and avoided getting injured by sharp rocks that splintered off the wall of the formation and fell down, into the unknown.

The beast lunged, using its wings to launch itself into the sky - and you watched in astonishment as it caught the Jedi with its other foot, gripping so tightly that the redhead didn't even have enough air to scream.

Your captor took off, and at this point, you just wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation; BD-1 beeped, full-on panicking, while Cal, who's turned incredibly pale, yelled out a choked "We're gonna die!". The fiend flew up, gaining momentum, and then turned, bending slightly down and angling its ugly face towards the Jedi - you winced as it screeched, loud and victorious, as if saying " _Now I've got you!_ "

Deep blue hissed angrily as it flared against the unforgiving crimson sunlight; Cal had managed to free his hands and used his lightsaber to slice at the fiend's leg, burning through the skin, cutting through the flesh.

"Are you insane?!" you yelled, actively squirming against the tight hold, eyes glued to the more than disconcerting scene playing out before you. "It's gonna-"

The beast growled in agony, flipping onto its back and thus shaking the Jedi off itself - you saw Cal slam against the large bone of its wing before going completely numb, free falling through the air; you weren't sure if he was conscious or not, neither did you have time to act upon it. The gigantic bird angled its body down, steadily flying through the dusty space, apparently glad to have been freed of the redheaded burden.

You clenched your teeth tightly together and made an effort to shimmy one of your hands out of the painful grasp - wind howled all around, making your head feel like it was filled with cotton.

Craning your neck to the point of feeling the strain through your entire spine, you tracked the Jedi with your eyes, squinting and attempting to predict where and how soon he would land; you only had a couple of seconds to think, your heart was racing, your free hand was trembling.

 _Focus_ , you told yourself and took a deep breath.

 _One_ , the beast shifted slightly, wings flapping as it started to slow down.

 _Two_ , the Jedi's form came into view, close, but not close enough; BD-1 barely held onto the harness on its owner's back, beeping in distress, lights on the back of its head flashing an alarming red.

_Focus, trooper! A modulated voice came from somewhere beside you, harsh and angry and displeased. There was blood on your tongue, and a tingle in your limbs - the shock wasn't severe to kill you, but enough to slow you down. Always such a disappointment!_

_**Three.** _

You grunted, using all strength you had left to pull the Jedi closer, your hand clasped tightly around his wrist. Cal's body crashed into the side of the monster's foot, which immediately pulled him back from unconsciousness - he blinked at you, disoriented, then, upon shifting his gaze to the side, shouted a startled yelp, immediately bringing his other hand up to hold onto your forearm for dear life. "Keep still!" you commanded, huffing as you made an effort to not move, fingers trembling at the strain.

The Jedi quickly looked around, gaze stopping somewhere higher. "Let go when I tell you!" he suddenly yelled, and you shot a glare up, towards him.

"You can't be serio-"

"NOW!"

You loosened your grip, letting his hand go. Your mind reeled when your companion flew out of sight, and you growled a quiet sound, curling your fingers into a fist.

The beast staggered, losing its balance in the air, and something exploded from above. You recognized the deafening sound of wood breaking into pieces; dark splinters, large and sharp, rained down upon the creature, burying themselves in its body and making it cry out in pain - you also heard your one and only Jedi, screaming at the top of his lungs somewhere above.

How did he manage to stay alive? You raised your hand to shield yourself from the onslaught of sharp sticks and branches falling past, red dust setting on your armor in a generous coat; you quickly wiped your visor, frantic to see what was going on, yet the dirt was so thick that it simply refused to come off. You were partially blind.

You thought you caught glimpse of three large faces carved into the mountain of stone somewhere to the side, large eyes narrowed and mouths hanging open in a silent scream of agony. Then there was a loud shriek, rippling through the beast's entire body, resonating within your own chest - you desperately scratched at your helmet, and when you succeeded in restoring your vision, you wished to have remained blind.

"No-no-NO!" was all you had time to yell before your captor flew full-speed into a rock formation, the entirety of its body slamming against the hard surface and shattering it to pathetic pieces - the impact had knocked the wind out of you, sending you lunging forward and out of the creature's grasp.

Your hands automatically made a grab for anything they could reach, which in this case were crumbling rocks that started to slip further down the jagged slope, along with your body; pain reverberated through your upper middle, yet the adrenaline was quick to push the unpleasant sensations back, pumping the blood through your veins. If you didn't die from this monster's claws, then you will definitely die from a heart attack.

A gasp left you when your kama caught onto a sharp edge, and somehow, that bought you several extra seconds to think and act. You used that time wisely, reaching up and grabbing onto the ledge located closest to you; upon closer inspection, you saw Cal at the very top of this crumbling formation, both hands flailing helplessly in the air as he struggled to keep his balance atop of it. He failed miserably, slipping and sliding down the newly formed slope, _towards you_.

How convenient.

You both went tumbling down when your bodies collided against each other, BD screeching when it was flung off the Jedi's back and into your chest, tiny feet scratching against the duraplast as the droid attempted to climb on your shoulder.

This unfortunate slide didn't last long - all three of you slammed against a sandy platform just below, but thankfully, none of your companions went tumbling further down.

"I don't know how we're gonna get down from this!" Cal shouted next to you, quickly getting up and digging his fingers into your forearm, eyes darting around in search for a possible escape route. "It's a long drop!"

You spared a glance down, and thanked the stars for having your stomach empty; the pit that lay beneath you wasn't just endless - it was covered in various rock formations, all massive, and all far, far down. If you were to fall, it was pretty much instant death.

The blasted creature came into your field of vision once again. It roared, passing right under you, shaking its pale head and slowing down, the grey mane protecting its thick neck ruffled and bloody.

"Beep boo beep?" the droid chirped, quickly jumping from your shoulder to the Jedi's back, box-like head rotating from side to side, apparently looking from its owner to you, as if expecting a reply.

"Jump again?"

Your eyes widened upon hearing the Jedi's question. "No way!" you protested, making fruitless attempts at yanking your arm out of Cal's grasp - was he always this strong? "I'm not jumping! We will fall to our deaths!"

The Jedi turned towards you, tugging at your forearm, bright eyes roaming your helmeted face with urgency. "You have to trust me." he spoke, giving you exactly one second to think and one more to respond; dusty rocks rained all around you, breaking easily. You hesitated, then set your jaw and nodded, once. He smiled, a brief tug of his lips that almost went unnoticed by you due to how quickly your companion turned back around, directing his gaze down.

A screech passed through the canyon below; you felt a shiver ripple along your spine, and you carefully lowered your hand, feeling Cal's fingers slip down to your palm, intertwining with your own once more.

And then you were airborne, again, unable to suppress a loud scream that would surely leave your throat sore for the next couple of days. Your hand was still linked with Cal's, and it was the only thing keeping you from passing out right there and then. A memory of yourself free falling through the space inside of your TIE suddenly came to mind, but even that, even if you were completely alone in an enclosed space, doomed to burn in an explosion, seemed far less terrifying than speeding down into a smoky unknown.

You landed on your side, the long, silky mane of the fiend's neck softening the blow significantly; Cal didn't land as easily, losing his hold on your hand, but it had proven to be a lucky convenience - now he had freedom of movement, which granted him ability to hold tighter onto the dark grey hairs.

You weren't sure what happened after that. It seemed as though your assailant got spooked and lost its balance, flipping in the air multiple times before starting to go down, too tired to pull itself back up and out of harm's way. It crashed face-first into a large stone - there was a muffled cry of pain along with the nauseating sound of something cracking rather loudly, - and you, along with your companions, were shaken off its mane, landing onto the hard ground.

 _Maker, why must you punish me so?_ You remained laying on your side, blinking wearily at the glowing embers the shapes of which you couldn't make out, not with your vision swimming as if you were underwater. You parted your lips and managed a trembling sigh, immediately tensing up when your chest responded with dull pain. Guess that was the consequence of having your life practically squeezed out of you.

It was quiet. In fact, it was _too_ quiet.

You rolled onto your stomach as quickly as you could in your current condition, wincing at the strain in your arms when you attempted to push yourself up. You failed, helmet knocking against the muddy earth as you slumped onto it, exhausted.

"Hey," you croaked, turning your head to look to the side. "Jedi?"

It took him an unnervingly long couple of seconds to reply. "Yeah?"

"Did we do it?"

Cal grunted, and you listened as he slowly got up, dirt sploshing under his boots. BD-1 booped a displeased little noise. "If you mean the beast, then yeah. I think it's dead."

Your body relaxed against the ground and you allowed yourself to breathe a long-suffering sigh. "Wonderful. I can die in peace now."

You heard the Jedi bark out a sudden laugh, then there was a sound of approaching footsteps. It seemed that Cal had plopped down to sit next to you, then placed a careful hand on your shoulder. "You don't wanna miss out on the thing I'm looking for, do you?"

"The deeper we go into this cursed planet," you turned your helmet to the other side, now facing the Jedi. "The _more_ I want to miss out on whatever that thing is."

Cal chuckled, shaking his head. BD approached you, then, after chirping something, jumped onto your back; you stilled on instinct, but immediately relaxed upon feeling the near-pleasant sting of a stim being injected into the space between your armor plates. You sighed in relief, feeling the healing bacta warm up your bruised flesh, and sitting up immediately became a much easier task than it was mere moments ago. "Ah, that's better." you carefully stood up, straightening to your full height, and then looked down at the droid sitting at your feet, gazing up at you with curiosity. "Thanks."

BD-1 seemed to beam, or so it looked. It shuffled actively from one foot to the other, doing something similar to a happy dance, before turning and jumping onto its rightful owner's back. 

The Jedi got up as well, glancing over his shoulder towards the dead creature buried underneath the rubble. "Let's get out of here." he said quietly, and you paused, watching him turn away with a solemn expression on his face. You let your gaze linger on the enormous corpse for a bit longer, listening as your companion started speed-walking away, clearly eager to leave this terrible occurence behind.

"Jedi," you called after him, turning to meet his eyes. He stopped. "I believe you have something of mine."

Cal made a confused face, then he breathed an understanding "Oh." before taking your electrostaff off his back and marching towards you, extending his arm. You accepted the weapon, happy to find it in working order, even after everything that happened.

You pressed the activation button, smiling to yourself at the comforting neon color. "You kept it safe," you carefully strapped the staff to your spine, slightly adjusting its position. Averting your eyes had proven to be easy, but getting the following words out turned out to be a bit more difficult. "You didn't have to. But you did. So... thanks."

"Anytime." the Jedi grinned. "I had no choice, to be honest. As someone once said, you don't look that intimidating without a weapon."

"I'm running out of nice, Jedi." you replied, shooting him a glare. "Don't push me."

Cal didn't seem scared, or remorseful for that matter; he raised both of his hands up and grinned even wider. "Sorry, sorry."

You directed your gaze towards the BD unit - the little tin can was cackling without even trying to hide its amusement. Who programmed droids to be such a pain? "You two are impossible."

You did your best to ignore their joined laughter as you walked further into the foggy swamps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you’re enjoying the development! Baby steps, everybody, baby steps.  
> Don’t forget to leave a heart if you are new here and you are interested in seeing continuation, and please let me know what you think of this story so far in the comments!  
> Thank you for reading! <3


	7. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You scrambled towards the torch, bending to grab it yet faltering when the fire completely went out, extinguished by a gust of wind that came out of nowhere, bringing bone-chilling cold. Inky darkness dripped in the corners of your vision; even your armor seemed bright against it. Moving backwards, you felt around in search of the nearest wall, only to find the space around hollow and silent. No trace of a narrow passageway, only empty darkness and endless drip-drop of water running from the ceiling somewhere far away.
> 
> "Show yourself." you spoke, steel ringing loud and clear in your tone.
> 
> A bark of dry, mechanical laughter came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. " _As you wish._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached over 1000 hits and a bit over 100 kudos, everybody! I am thankful beyond words. I appreciate each and every one of you, thank you for motivating me and keeping me going.  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Your patience was running thin.

Yes, you understood that the situation called for a certain secrecy, and you were aware of the Jedi's absolutely _infuriating_ stubbornness, but with each step taken and each enemy defeated, your strength was depleted more and more - both physical and mental. It all felt very unnatural, and very pointless.

So you started thinking what exactly Cal could have been looking for on Dathomir. During your first meeting he claimed that Mantis was not resistance-affiliated, which meant that his so-called 'mission' was not a side job for his potential rebel friends. Nobody risked their lives for a simple side job.

Then there was the question of his creed. You best guess was that Cal held the title of a Jedi Knight, although you could have been wrong - after all, it seemed that he was fairly young when the Purge happened, and after that the Jedi went into hiding, not displaying their powers to the entire galaxy by forming unions and gaining titles. Most of the Jedi that your fellow Purge Troopers managed to capture were simple padawans, trained but far from masterful.

Cal held his people in high regard, and you knew it resonated within you as well. The two of you were brought up in different environments, but there was one thing you had in common - you were loyal to your masters. And now, as you walked alongside the young Jedi, you couldn't help but wonder if the mission you were helping him to accomplish was something that now marked you a traitor.

You didn't dislike fighting alongside Cal. He was skilled and knew how to handle himself in a fight; the Empire always made an emphasis on the so-called natural selection, with winners getting all kinds of praise, and losers simply getting killed. You respected those who were stronger than you, and your companion just so happened to fall into that category. Not that you would ever say it out loud.

The longer you fought with the Jedi, the more you were reminded of your life as a Purge Trooper. Sometimes, just _sometimes_ , when the heat was becoming unbearable and you paused briefly to catch your breath, you thought that you saw an armor-clad figure before you, donning a twin copy of your helmet, wielding a familiar electrostaff.

Then Cal would stop as well, feeling your gaze upon his form, and ask if you were alright.

The spell would break, and you would wave him off with a humorless chuckle - yet something in your chest would twist and hurt every time you blinked that vision off.

You wanted to know why the Jedi was here. Was he looking for something that would make him even stronger? Help someone else? If it was an object, what could it do? If it was a place, what could it show?

Running around in the labyrinths of your own mind was nearly as exhausting as the fight with the winged creature - _Gorgara,_ as BD-1 smartly quipped during your trek through the dim swamps. You would have given anything for a quick trip to the refresher and a new chestplate, but neither you nor your companions could afford to bask in fantasies now. You were here because you were completing your part of the deal, you reminded yourself.

"Get down," Cal whispered beside you, crouching low and carefully peeking down, towards a crowd of Nightbrothers that gathered together at the center of what you presumed to be village; you obeyed silently, lowering yourself and placing a careful hand onto the pale stone wall beside you. "That's a lot of them."

"Looks like we have wandered into the very heart of their home," you blew a quiet sigh from between your lips. "Any chance we could go around?"

The Jedi squinted, searching for a possible route. BD-1 turned its head in a full circle, then shifted closer to its owner and tapped his arm. Both you and Cal looked down at the droid, and it shook its head.

"Are you sure?" the redhead asked. The BD unit booped quietly in reply. "He says he scanned the map. The only way through is below."

"Great." you mumbled, carefully approaching the edge of the wooden platform all three of you were positioned atop of; the crowd of Nightbrothers seemed to have broken off into small groups of warriors, and they all started walking - some returned to their homes, disappearing behind stone doors, and some headed to their designated posts, weapons at the ready.

"See that opening over there?" your companion leaned closer towards you, stretching his arm out to point a finger at the exit squeezed in between two rock formations. "We have to try and get there."

"How are we going to reach it?"

Cal flashed you a conspiratory grin. "Like we always do."

You shook your head with a sigh. "Yes, by charging headfirst into the conflict."

"Well, if you have a better idea, let's hear it." the Jedi turned his entire body towards you, eyes finding yours. He seemed genuinely curious.

You stared at him for a second, then looked at BD-1; the droid was silent, but its wide, uneven lenses blinked questioningly at you. It seemed that you had their full attention.

"Alright," you moved away and shifted your gaze towards the center of the village, where a couple of Nightbrothers were grouped together, chatting away. Several bane back spiders were resting at their feet, like pets. "I say I distract them, make some noise. You two," you pointed at both of your companions. "Will make a run for it." the Jedi opened his mouth to object, a frown already forming on his face, but you held a hand up, thus silencing him. "They won't even notice you amidst the chaos. After I make sure that you're gone, I will escape through _there_."

You moved closer to the edge, nodding towards a wide wooden fence that closed off the space at the very end of the village. It wasn't guarded, neither was it difficult to hop over; still, you couldn't help but feel frustrated when Cal started shaking his head. "It's too dangerous. We might as well run together, if that's the case."

"Didn't you hear me? This will buy you time to look for a way out."

Cal's frown deepened. "We will be separated."

"You are more than capable of protecting yourself." you insisted. "So am I."

"What if you run into a dead end behind that fence?"

You applauded his perseverance, but now wasn't the time for that. "Do you really have enough energy to take on all of them, Jedi?"

That seemed to make him consider your suggestion a bit more closely. Cal gazed at you in silence for a tense beat, weighing his options; you were almost completely sure that he would insist on fighting your way through together, but he managed to surprise you. "Fine. We do it your way." you resisted the urge to grin proudly. "Keep going up, the temple we saw earlier at the surface level is where we'll most likely meet. BD-1?"

The droid quickly loaded the map of Dathomir, however some routes were unfinished, empty blue blanks filling up the hologram. Your supposed way out was also blank. "Alright. The temple."

You moved to stand, yet halted when Cal caught your wrist in a gentle grip. You looked down at him, and he stared back, a certain tension visible in the set of his jaw. "Be careful."

 _Concern._ It was always a sort of rarity to come across.

A quiet chuckle escaped through your vocoder, and you leaned a bit further down, bending in a mock bow. "Yes, sir. Same goes for you."

"I mean it."

"I do too. Try to stay alive, Jedi."

He relaxed, his grip loosening - and a faint smile immediately replaced his frown. "I will."

You straightened to your full height, reaching behind your back to grab your weapon; with one last glance over your shoulder, you took a deep breath and jumped off the wooden planks, landing rather noisily onto the ground below, kicking up a large cloud of red dust. A Nightbrother warrior immediately took notice of you, barking out a loud, growling " _Intruder!_ " before charging forward. You dodged, disarming him by forcefully knocking the sharp weapon out of his hand; his yell gave you the attention you needed - every archer, arachnid and brawler turned towards you, countless weapons at the ready, purple and magenta shining bright against the dull colors of their homes.

"I'm here!" you shouted, raising your dominant hand up and thrusting your staff up into the air, neon violet crackling eagerly, hungry for blood. "Come fight me! If even your leading Nightsister failed to finish me off, then perhaps this planet is filled with nothing but undisciplined filth!"

Your words infuriated them enough to start attacking even before you were finished speaking; you dodged charges fired from the bows and did your best to avoid getting in close proximity to the warriors. The spiders didn't waste time on their end - poison colored the air a dirty green, fuming, splattering all around, _burning_. Several large drops of viscous liquid landed on your armor plates, rolling further down and seeping into the material underneath; you hissed at the burn, yet kept moving, dashing through the village with the entirety of Dathomirian Zabrak population hot on your heels.

One warrior caught up, lunging at you with a vicious snarl - you swung your staff at him, surprising him with a painful blow to the jaw that sent him falling backwards, howling in agony. Two more approached, each receiving punishing hits to their feet and knees. A glowing energy bolt came flying from somewhere to the side, then another one, and another one; you could see more warriors start to pour out of their homes, clenching enchanted axes and staffs in their muscular hands.

You started running again, moving towards your exit; your fingers twisted the staff in your hands, spinning it and creating a flaming circle of purple that electrocuted any that came close enough.

Cal was nowhere to be seen. You lunged out of the way when a spider jumped forward, ready to bite, green mucus spewing at your feet; your helmet turned from side to side, you strained your eyes and ears to see or hear anything that could point you to the Jedi's current position, yet all you could hear were enraged battle cries and promises of a slow and painful death spat at you.

You were running out of time.

"The other intruder!" someone finally yelled, panicked. "Close the central gate! CLOSE IT!"

A flash of blue, a faint sound of plasma humming as it cut through the air - and then a loud slam of heavy wood against stone.

Arms wrapped themselves around you, bruisingly strong; you dropped your staff and struggled against your assailant as another Nightbrother charged forward, weaponless, growling. A charge buzzed past the side of your helmet right when a large fist collided against your lower torso, knocking the air out of your lungs. You hissed a curse, then brought both of your legs up, powering through the pain, and kicked as hard as you could against the warrior's chest - he fell over, not expecting you to recover so soon, and you smashed the back of your head against the other's face. The impact was enough to set you free - and probably break the Nightbrother's nose, - so you used this chance to turn around and flee, swiping your weapon from the ground along the way.

You jumped, pulling yourself up and over the wooden fence, wincing at sharp edges that scraped and stabbed into your hands as you flung yourself out of the limited space, towards safety.

You landed clumsily on your side, yet managed to get up and start running, sparing a quick glance over your shoulder to ensure that you weren't followed; the fence creaked and bent as Nightbrothers attempted to break through it, and you grinned widely under your helmet, picking up the pace and sprinting through the deserted passageway lined with dusty pots and spots of red.

To the rendezvous point.

* * *

Yellow markings painted on crumbling walls served as your guide for the entire time while you ran through the narrow openings, yet even they disappeared at some point.

You glanced up, towards a carved hole in the stone that let the sunlight in - and found it to be the last one you could see further down the passage. A lonely fire flickered somewhere ahead, yet you couldn't make out anything else. You contemplated on whether you should turn back and look for another way out, but the strangest thing was that the path turned out to be pretty much linear, leading you further and further _down._

It was the exact opposite of where you were trying to go. The temple was at the surface level, but so far, you saw no hint of any ways to ascend, like those makeshift lifts littering the ground above.

You took a deep breath and started walking forward.

The walls darkened with each step you took, and the sound of water dripping replaced the sound of wind picking up dust from the dry ground. You tensed when you heard a rustle from behind you, yet, when you whipped around, there was nothing.

A shaky exhale passed through the vocoder, somehow gaining an echo that rolled off the walls. You quickened your step, moving towards the source of light, and indeed, there it was, an oiled, old-looking torch, fire dancing atop of it. It was attached to the wall, spidery cracks running through the rock around it, like a halo.

As soon as you took it down from the wall and curled your fingers around it, there was another rustle, this time much closer; you turned and swiped the torch in front of you, breathing heavily. Your stomach churned when more noise was heard coming from behind you, a quiet chuckle ghosting over your neck, a presence of someone's eyes lingering upon you.

You didn't waste time - simply started running, fire leaving a bright orange trail after you, touching the walls that seemed to close in; your vision was swimming, and so you clenched your teeth, forcing your legs to move.

There were footsteps behind you, thumping, heavy and fast; the walls were closing in, you were sure of it now, the ground was hot, it was burning your feet, you were gonna die, _yes, you were gonna die and nobody would find you here, underground._

You accelerated, heart ramming against your ribcage to the point of bringing pain along with the adrenaline. 

_You were gonna die. You were gonna die, buried alive on this cursed planet._

_You shouldn't have come here._

_You should have followed your orders. You should have remained loyal to the Empire. You should have **killed** Cal Kestis when you had the chance._

Your foot caught onto a large rock and you lost your balance, tripping and falling to the ground, the torch rolling away from you, licking at the dark stone.

"No!" you gasped, making an effort to move, yet finding yourself paralyzed, glued to the spot. _What the hell were you thinking?_ Your back pressed against the wall, and you became acutely aware of the fact that you were hyperventilating. The air wasn't enough, something was pressing onto your chest, not letting you breathe properly - you raised both of your hands and clawed at the column of your neck, wishing to just rip the protective material off it and _dig_ your nails into the skin until it bled a crimson red, just like Dathomirian sun.

Your eyes were wide open, yet you couldn't see. Black spots danced before you, heart pounding in your ears, and you opened your mouth to scream, yet no sound came out.

_Please, make it stop._

**_Your performance was less that satisfactory._ **

_I trust you to take care of him._

**_You will be punished._ **

_You have to trust me._

"STOP!" you shouted; your scream echoed all around, deafeningly loud, and returned to you as a desperate cry for help. "Please, stop! Make it stop!"

And the weight disappeared from your chest. You slumped against the ground, greedily swallowing the bitter-tasting air like it was water, sweat rolling down your temples and heat buzzing in your very limbs; you exhaled, now curling up on the cold stone and bringing your knees up, to your chin.

You wanted to fall asleep. Your eyes started to close, and you managed a shuddering breath that hitched when a distinctive sound of footsteps was heard from above.

" _Tsk, tsk, tsk._ "

Your helmet snapped up, and you quickly shifted into a sitting position, eyes darting around in search of the source. A small red flame danced atop of the wet stone in a couple of feet away from you.

You scrambled towards the torch, bending to grab it yet faltering when the fire completely went out, extinguished by a gust of wind that came out of nowhere, bringing bone-chilling cold. Inky darkness dripped in the corners of your vision; even your armor seemed bright against it. Moving backwards, you felt around in search of the nearest wall, only to find the space around hollow and silent. No trace of a narrow passageway, only empty darkness and endless drip-drop of water running from the ceiling somewhere far away.

"Show yourself." you spoke, steel ringing loud and clear in your tone.

A bark of dry, mechanical laughter came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. " _As you wish._ "

A hand closed around your throat, invisible arm pushing you backwards and slamming your entire body against the cold rock; your hands shot up to grasp onto the attacker's wrist, and a startled noise left you when you felt a familiar gauntlet of duraplast encased around the forearm of the stranger.

You frantically moved your hand further up, trailing along the protective plating, first to the shoulder, then to the base of the neck. Then to the face, fingers brushing against the shiny surface.

_A helmet._

Dark red visor, a twin copy of your very own, concealed the eyes, yet you knew who it was. His hand gripped tighter onto your throat, no doubt leaving angry red bruises, yet despite that, your other hand came to rest on the helmet's other side, tracing the sharp lines. 

" _Always such a disappointment._ " he snarled, gloved fingers flexing on your neck. " _Thought you could betray our Emperor and live? Thought you could betray **me**?_"

"I..." you gasped for air, chest heaving. "I didn't-"

" _You didn't?!_ " a laugh tore from his throat, loud and angry and unrestrained. " _Spare me your lies. You made a deal with the enemy, you bent a knee before him! You swore to keep a promise, and oh, you will keep it, won't you?_ " he pushed harder, now nearly picking you up from the ground. You clawed at his hands, to no avail. " _Filthy, **filthy** traitor. I should have went after you._"

You despised the choked up, sobbing sound that made it past your lips.

"I'm... sorry..." came a wheeze from you. Your throat hurt, blood rushed to your brain. His grip was suffocating. "Please!.."

His fingers were cold, even through the gloves. 

And then the pressure was gone. You collapsed to the ground, gasping - your own breath filled the space inside of your helmet, so you immediately raised your trembling hands to pull it off and throw it as far away from you as you could. There was a burning in your eyes, as well as your throat; the bruises already started to form underneath the dents made on your neck covering.

You belatedly realized that you were shaking, as if suffering from a severe case of hypothermia. Duraplast clattered quietly when you moved away from your assailant and wrapped your hands around your knees, vulnerable and so, so ashamed.

"I'm sorry." you spoke again, raising your eyes to look at him. He stood motionlessly, looming over you. "I am not..." you coughed, wincing at the soreness that scratched against your vocal cords. "I'm not a traitor."

He was quiet for a long moment. It was almost as if he wasn't even breathing, as you saw no steady rise and fall of his armored chest - yet you could still feel him stare down at you, crimson glare burning into your face. " _Then do what you know is right._ " he finally spoke, slowly lowering himself to one knee before your form. You flinched away from his gloved hand when he reached out to caress your cheek in an overly affectionate motion. " _You know I would never hurt you. I just want you to make things right._ "

You watched him in silence, tense. Something was wrong, you could feel it in the pit of your stomach - yet fear prevented you from speaking on it. "And..." you started, eyes flickering all over his helmet, recognizing every line and every edge. "... what would be the right thing to do?"

He tilted his head. " _Why, kill the Jedi, of course._ " his hand settled on your upper arm, gripping painfully. _No, this is... wrong. All wrong._ " _It's what makes you a Purge Trooper. Kill him, and you will be forgiven._ "

"I can't just-"

" _You **can't** or you **won't**?_" he barked, suddenly loud. You flinched. " _He will get rid of you the first chance he gets. What's stopping him from accomplishing his mission and leaving you here, all alone? How long do you think this truce might last?_ "

The silence that followed was heavy, loaded with unspoken tension; he obviously expected an answer from you, yet you hesitated to give it to him, searching for eyes underneath those bloody lenses.

You found none.

Now was your turn to laugh. Whether it was from the sudden realization that made it inside of your stunned mind, or from the sheer shock, you didn't know - not that it was important anyway. You started chuckling, shoulders shaking as you stared at him.

The trooper recoiled, as if surprised, then froze. You could feel his nervousness from the twitch of his fingers against your arm.

"I'm not a puppet," you spat, smile gone. " _Impostor._ "

He was on you in no time, wrestling you to the ground and closing both of his hands around your throat once again, this time with murderous intent. You struggled against him, using your knees to hit him in the stomach and reaching up to claw at the space underneath the helmet, to no avail: he squeezed and squeezed, manic, unfamiliar laughter echoing all around. There was a pressure building in your head, your lungs ached, it felt like he wanted to tear your throat out - something burned, wisps of color rising somewhere to the side, yet your vision went dark before you could identify the source.

"You're smart, aren't you!" came a hiss from above you, muted as if underwater, yet still audible. You recognized it. "But evidently not smart enough to leave when told to. So weak, so fragile!..."

A flash of green blinded you for a second, chasing away the dark that started to gather around; the figure atop of you cursed loudly, sounding incredibly annoyed, and then you were free once again. Rolling over to your side, you coughed, lungs answering with dull pain upon being filled with harsh air; you barely caught sight of dark maroon and bright emerald before your eyes closed completely and you collapsed to the ground.

"An unfitting end for a warrior you claim to be." came a quiet voice from above, spoken with a hint of pity, yet through grit teeth. "This will be your last chance to leave and never come back."

A whisper fell through the air, ancient words you've never heard before, and then you were out cold, curled into yourself.

* * *

You didn't know how exactly you ended up outside of that terrible cave, yet when you opened your eyes, the first thing you noticed was the endless red sky stretching above you.

There was a lit campfire not far from you, and you stared wordlessly at the tiny specs of bright yellow that crackled through the air; an image of saturated green magick suddenly came to mind, and you quickly sat up, half-expecting the mysterious Nightsister to be somewhere nearby, yet you found yourself alone. The only company you had was a tiny brown bug that scurried away and across the dried stone with speed of light as soon as you started moving.

You refused to think about what happened in the cave. Your hand came up to rub at your temple, then you reached behind your back, finding absolutely nothing. Before you could start panicking, however, you spotted your staff and your helmet placed carefully atop of a rock sitting on the opposite side of the fire.

A quiet breath whistled from between your lips; you pulled yourself up, rolling your shoulders and wincing at the pain coating the entirety of your throat. If you were to undo the protective wrappings, you would surely find streaks of purple scattered all over the aching skin.

Daylight was fading, little by little. The sky seemed even redder now, stained with pink and magenta, colors reflecting off the thick clouds hanging above, heavy and imposing. Everything on this planet was heavy and imposing, and you found yourself wondering what _exactly_ in your life was ever any different.

A seed of doubt was placed into your heart, but you didn't know what exactly it entailed. You were good at following orders, not making choices - your entire life was spent in shadows of others, knee bent and head hanging low. This newfound freedom was scandalous, you realized. You disliked it and found it thrilling at the same time.

You carefully wiped the dirt off the activation button on your staff, and stared at it wordlessly for a minute. Perhaps the Nightsister was right, and you should have left this planet, convinced the Jedi to do the same. This land hid things that you wouldn't - and couldn't - understand, ancient secrets that were not meant to have been discovered by you.

However, you were in too deep now. You had no choice, and even if you followed the Nightsister's advice, you knew that a hasty escape would do you no good.

Zeffo. You had to get to Zeffo. You were going to drag the Jedi all the way back to the Mantis if that's what it took to get him off this damn planet.

With a long exhale, you placed your staff on your back and walked over to the very edge of the platform overlooking the mighty terrain. The temple wasn't far, you could probably make it before dark - the massive structure stood tall and unperturbed, unfazed by the disturbing events that were unfolding beneath it. Unfazed by the bloodshed, the sacrifices and pointless battles that rattled the ground until the winds stuttered and walls crumbled to pathetic pieces.

You smiled grimly at the sight.

You, too, were once indifferent, insensitive to all of this, as relentlessness was what made you into who you were - made you into an Imperial Purge Trooper. Which was why one question remained unanswered.

What changed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A storyline atop of a storyline? Whaaaat?  
> Pretty reader-centric, buuut I figured that not all time should be spent ~~flirting~~ **squabbling** with Cal, eh?  
> How's everybody doing? Hope you're staying positive, because more anguish is coming.  
> As always, thank you for reading! Leave a heart if you're new here, and stay tuned!


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